We have just spent the past week at Andrews University in Michigan. Since returning to the US as missionaries we have been asked to attend the re-entry program for returning missionaries. In our ignorance we thought it was not needed. As we have been here for more than 2.5 years now, we have come to realize that our time in Cameroon has had more lasting effects than we had thought. So this year we decided to attend. It was a blessing that we had been missing.
Over the past months and years, we have realized that our time in western Africa had affected many ways of our lives. Effected our goals for the future, changed our outlook on the world, and deepened our spiritual lives, made friends, challenged our beliefs, expanded our medical knowledge, increased our dependence on Jesus, increased the challenges of living day to day, helped us learn French, educated us in the spiritual and physical ways of the Mafa people and or the northern Cameroon and north eastern Nigerian people and their differences.
Having dealt with these changes while overseas, and then readapting back into North American culture and customs, we felt we had adapted well. Yes there are many times we are still wondering what is appropriate. For example, when a Cameroonian invites me over I know what is expected. When a neighbor or friend invites me over I don’t. If we are going to eat: Do I bring a dish? Do I bring dessert? If someone invites us to stay at their house when we are near by: Does that mean they want us to truly stay? Or is it just being nice? And I know the answer to these questions changes depending on the background of the person your encountering and also the region of the US that you are talking about.
As we’ve been through the re-entry program, it as been nice to share mission experiences with people that understand what we’ve been through. We all have had different difficulties. Some have been in fear of their lives, some have been saved miraculously, some have had losses in their families, some have had emotional strain, some terrible diseases, some have been witness to many miracles. Each has their individual experience but we are able to understand because of shared experiences. They and we have been involved in the spiritual battle. We have seen direct evidences of the enemy. In the power that Jesus has given His followers, we have seen the enemy flee from Him. It has been a great week associating with other missionaries.
As we have talked, prayed, consoled, learned, and dealt with our past, with other missionaries- it has revived our dream of having a place of rest and restoration for missionary families. Audrey attended “Women of the Harvest” for missionary women while we were on furlough from Cameroon. It was a great time of restoration for her. Since that time we have dreamed of having a place, in a beautiful surrounding, where missionary families can come for free and rest and spend time being renewed, before returning to their mission field. We envision a place near the ocean, or on a lake or river. A place where we live in the home and have space to have other families with us. A place where we have work to be able to be able to provide this free to missionaries. A place where food is plentiful, for those who have not had much. An internal library were there are books of education, missions, anthropology, science, and religious, humor… A place of safety, and rest where they can feel they are at home. While here in the US we want to support those doing foreign missions, and this seems to the way God is leading us. If this interests you, please pray to know how God would have you minister with us to missionaries.