The Last Day

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Tomorrow is our last day in the states. As a person who does not enjoy goodbyes and struggles with change, even when the change involves returning to the familiar, this is pretty sad. I must say that I am pretty proud of myself for not worrying and fretting and crying about our last day until now, our second to last day, and really, I haven’t cried yet and am not overly worried. It’s just that I am starting to feel those butterflies in my stomach, the ones that come before a big upheaval. I know there is going to be a lot of sad feelings when leaving here and there is also going to be a lot of adjusting once we are back in South Africa and these are things we’ll all just have to deal with. I would gladly deal with all the feelings and emotions and packing and unpacking in exchange for all of the wonderful experiences we’ve had over the past 6 weeks.

Being in Michigan and visiting familiar faces and places was amazing. Seeing Tyson and Jori playing with their friends again, watching them ride bikes around the neighborhood, listening to all the giggles and other noises of childhood was just fun. I tucked away a lot of pictures in my mind, images that will surely bring this mama’s heart a lot of happiness over the next few years. Catching up with friends from church and college and work and other areas of our old life was a real blessing as well. We left Michigan feeling loved and realized that we are not forgotten!

Spending time in Minnesota with Darin’s family and catching up with friends from high school and college was also a lot of fun. Our kids went on more motorized vehicles in 2 weeks than they’ve ever been on; boats, motorbikes, 4 wheelers, jet skis, gators, go-karts and more. They loved it and will probably forever equate the Midwest with 2, 4 and no wheeled fun! Biking to the city pool, library and grocery store with Grandma Karen were also fun adventures for our kids. We all enjoyed catching up with cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents and great-grandparents!

Now we are enjoying some time in sunny Oregon! Yes, the usually rainy state has welcomed us with a lot of hot weather. Before arriving in Oregon, we spent a lot of time with my family in South Dakota at a family reunion and then a lot of time driving back with them over three days to Oregon. We’ve enjoyed a lot of family dinners, loads of ice cream and time together talking and just hanging out. It’s crazy that I now have a niece and several nephews who are way taller than I am and that I also met 2 nieces and a sister-in-law for the first time ever!

Yes, we are tired and a bit worn and the whole living out of a suitcase way of life has gotten a bit old, but the four of us have truly enjoyed our travels and the time spent with family and friends.


In other news, we are happy to report that we have our visas!!! We know without a doubt that something that seemed impossible, namely receiving our visas in less than 4 weeks, was made possible by the prayers of so many people to our Great God!! Thank you all for praying, not only for our visas, but also for safety and health during our travels. We have been so encouraged over this past month and a half through talking face to face with so many of you and being able to share with you the story of God’s faithfulness in our lives. We are excited to see what He has in store for us when we return to South Africa and know that no matter what, He will be there with us!

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