I realize it has been nearly two months since my last post. It hasn’t been from a lack of activity. (As I write this I am watching 7 Sunrise children playing super Mario bros with Little Mister). There seems to never be a shortage of activity. And this silent season has been a good one. Full of events, full of healing, full of dreams, full of promise. Rather, the silence has been a period of writer’s block coupled with just a time of mental recuperation after the exhausting challenges of “the sick seaons” earlier this year. But all of the sudden, this afternoon, my words have returned – in a flood. I feel I could write all day and still have things to share.
So let me catch you up to speed a bit on life here on Sunrise before charging ahead in the next few days and weeks with all God is doing in our midst today.
- Healthy: I can thankfully share that we are all fully recovered, healthy and strong. It took T several weeks after my last blog to feel strong again, but he is indeed feeling renewed in mind and energy. And all the rest of us are healthy, too.
- Holidays: Much of last month was filled with Sunrise holidays. In some ways, it was good timing – we had no choice but to rest and recup. The holidays themselves are full of new cultural experiences I would love to share, but perhaps next year I will be able to give a fuller account of all the things that take place in this “holiday season.”
- Helper: No, she never came back. I have since heard that she returned to her former employer, that she wanted a place with more fellowship (I guess our home schooling habits in English weren’t much companionship for her), and that she needed to eat more during the day than she felt comfortable doing while working. (She was pregnant and I, too, was concerned with how little she seemed to be eating while working.) BUT, about a month ago, just before we left for a visa renewal trip, another neighbor came by, asking if I was still interested in having a house helper and if I’d like to hire her. So after we returned from that visa run, I again found myself with a helper. And this time, I am even more pleased. So please be praying for Annie and her family as we get to know one another better in these early weeks.
- Trips – our visa trip was successful and refreshing. Then T left straight away for another trip where he learned much (I’ll share more of that later) while we returned home for a completely uneventful time “without dad.” This trip was night and day different from the last one for all of us. It was everything smooth that the other one was rocky. It was a blessing to feel God’s peace surrounding us.
That was the last month. There’s so much to tell you about the current month. I look forward to sharing this next season with you. Thanks for your patience with my silence and your continued interest in our lives.