The minute we left Ugandan soil things got very interesting. Our 27 hour journey home turned into a 51 hour journey. Our flight in Brussels was canceled and our new flight was delayed by 4 hours. Forcing us to hang out in the Brussels airport for 14 hours with many angry passengers in the same situation. After these long days of traveling we so greatly longed to be home; God has a funny way of changing your perspective. Our first couple days home were rough to say the least. In addition to our complete exhaustion, we had puking kids, a broken washing machine, a leak in the sprinkler system, and a terrible letter from the IRS...
Many of you have asked how are we doing. So I will do my best as I answer what seems like a very loaded question since we go through the motions of life but feel like we are in a fog. It has been great to be home and see family and friends. We definitely see God's timing in our need to be home right now. We are all still adjusting to the 9 hour time change and find ourselves very exhausted and in need of naps often. The kids have been waking up way too early in the morning (4/5am). Luke and I will tackle one simple project around here, then we are done for the rest of the day. We go out on what seems like a simple outing to the store and we are all exhausted.
We are also having a bit of a culture shock as we find ourselves trying to adjust to a new routine. Yesterday Kristin found a bottle cap she wanted to give to her friends Hunter & Caleb. I found myself asking Kade to take the trash to Mr. Moro's. Luke wanted to relieve himself in a public place. Using water from the tap has really thrown us all off. I even struggled to dump a glass of water down the sink. I realize as some of you read this we sound completely crazy. But some of you who have lived in Africa totally get this.
Luke and I have both found ourselves longing for Africa. We both handle it in different ways. Luke has been watching movies based in Africa and longing for the close relationships we had there. I on the other hand find myself to be more teary than normal. Driving around here and seeing the extreme wealth is overwhelming. People here are so wealthy compared to the rest of the world and many don't even realize it. I find myself still grieving the loss of 2 children and how unjust life really can be.. Everything that needs to be done at home overwhelms me, there's a lot to catch up on after being gone for 2 months. Life at Jaca was so much more simple. I had Luke, Collin, and Denis to help with the cooking and cleaning but here it's all up to me. The shear idea of going to the grocery store caused a panic attack, and I needed Luke to escort me on the first trip just to help prevent a nervous breakdown. I'm so thankful for all the amazing family & friends God has placed in our life. We have been blessed with meals, groceries, and Easter supplies for my children. This has been a God send and kept me sane! I am truly longing to go back to the simple pace of our life in Africa, and am going to do my best to make it a part of our lives here.
Please bear with us as we navigate through this fog we are currently living in. Thankfully each day gets a little more clearer and less draining. And I will apologize now if you find us constantly talking about Africa. I've noticed that each of our conversations (including the kids) always gravitate towards our life in Uganda. Africa is now forever a part of us and we are so thankful for this journey God brought us on.
