Today JK and I head to the airport to pick up my family.
This trip has been a long time coming. First of all my mom missed out on the last family trip (and has honestly been my biggest supporter- so that was tough), second my grandma has been walkig everyday for well over a year in preperation, thirdly Lorie has encouraged me, listened to me talk on and on and really honestly "let me go" to be here and now gets to come see for herself, and of course Amy is my "other half" and will be returning for her THIRD time. (that is only one less flight than I have logged- granted my stays are a bit longer).
Lorie and Mike welcomed me into their family just before their second daughter Isabelle was born, hard to believe that was 10 years ago this month. Lor has become a second mom, an older sister and a good friend. I'm thrilled she is able to come on this great girls trip. JK loves that her daughters introduced him to bowling (which he became very competetive at), horseback riding, real ice cream, and the fun? game of Twister. He smiled and laughed a little when he found out Lor was coming- he has in his head that this city girl will struggle a bit here in the bush. Little does he know she is a camping queen and of course spent a bit of her childhood in the Great North. She's a tough lady who will give him a run for his money.
Oh how I wish that both these ladies were able to come on this trip. The people here would get such a kick out of Grandma Syvilla and her friend Darlington would love to meet her- maybe that will have to wait for another time. For now everyone is most excited to meet Grandma Shirley. They cannot believe that my GRANDMA is coming-and she is over 80 yrs old. When I explain that Grams has been walking almost 2 miles a day for over a year in preperation for this trip they are in awe. That she lives by herself, drives a car, and rides a stationary bike is beyond them. I cannot wait to "show her off". Grams and Gramps had a big part in my being here as well. They too were missionaries and showed all of us how to build relationships that last and show a love much deeper than any love we could give on our own. I can't go into how much I wish Gramps were on this trip. JK too loves Grandma Shirley. I'm sure it helps that she often baked him chocolate cake with rich homemade chocolate frosting (and would keep an extra piece hidden for him after everyone else had one)
My mom! My mentor, inspiration, friend, guide, comforter, encourager, gentle admonisher, I could go on and on. We've waited over 2 years for this- much longer actually. She knew before I did that I would be coming here. She prayed for me years before my first visit here, knowing this would be in my heart. After learning that he good friend Sandi's daughter was moving to Nigeria (I was yet in junior high I think) she started praying about the time she would have to let her own daughter go. As I struggled with my decision to come or not to come- she was a strong rock. In 2006 as I spent my first 3 weeks here the praise song "Blessed Be Your Name" ran through my head often. In some ways it became the song I associated with my time here. After returning home I knew that I wanted to come back. Many things delayed that from happening and I began to question whether it was to be a one time trip for me. As I shared with my mom she told me how while I was here the first time and many times since she has been awakened in the night with the song "Blessed Be Your Name" running through her mind. I had never shared with her that this was the song I associated with Sierra Leone. God is good and gives us these little reassurances that I really cherish. I love that my mom and I are so connected and finally she will actually see this place that I know she already feels. AND YES JK loves Karen too. I mean who wouldn't. Especially because she was so good at taking care of him while he was home. He loved playing darts for the first time- with my mom getting a bullseye while we were all NOT looking and yelling at us that "YALL MISSED IT!!!" While stomping her foot. He loves that my mom is actually the one with all the musical talent- playing the quitar able to keep the right rythym with the shaker...
AND Last but certainly not Least is Amers. EVERYONE here is waiting for Amy to come. I went a few weeks back to Freetown and traveled back with my friend Rainny- all the kids thought I said Amy so before I was even awake in the morning they were standing on the veranda of my hut yelling for Amy to come out. They were not happy when I said it would still be a couple weeks. Amy has made some good friends here during her visits. I love that my sister and best friends is loved as much as I am here. From her first visit here, before JK and I ever built a relationship- JK and Amy started to be friends. I'm thankful that they are friends too.
This trip has been a long time coming. First of all my mom missed out on the last family trip (and has honestly been my biggest supporter- so that was tough), second my grandma has been walkig everyday for well over a year in preperation, thirdly Lorie has encouraged me, listened to me talk on and on and really honestly "let me go" to be here and now gets to come see for herself, and of course Amy is my "other half" and will be returning for her THIRD time. (that is only one less flight than I have logged- granted my stays are a bit longer).Lorie and Mike welcomed me into their family just before their second daughter Isabelle was born, hard to believe that was 10 years ago this month. Lor has become a second mom, an older sister and a good friend. I'm thrilled she is able to come on this great girls trip. JK loves that her daughters introduced him to bowling (which he became very competetive at), horseback riding, real ice cream, and the fun? game of Twister. He smiled and laughed a little when he found out Lor was coming- he has in his head that this city girl will struggle a bit here in the bush. Little does he know she is a camping queen and of course spent a bit of her childhood in the Great North. She's a tough lady who will give him a run for his money.Oh how I wish that both these ladies were able to come on this trip. The people here would get such a kick out of Grandma Syvilla and her friend Darlington would love to meet her- maybe that will have to wait for another time. For now everyone is most excited to meet Grandma Shirley. They cannot believe that my GRANDMA is coming-and she is over 80 yrs old. When I explain that Grams has been walking almost 2 miles a day for over a year in preperation for this trip they are in awe. That she lives by herself, drives a car, and rides a stationary bike is beyond them. I cannot wait to "show her off". Grams and Gramps had a big part in my being here as well. They too were missionaries and showed all of us how to build relationships that last and show a love much deeper than any love we could give on our own. I can't go into how much I wish Gramps were on this trip. JK too loves Grandma Shirley. I'm sure it helps that she often baked him chocolate cake with rich homemade chocolate frosting (and would keep an extra piece hidden for him after everyone else had one) My mom! My mentor, inspiration, friend, guide, comforter, encourager, gentle admonisher, I could go on and on. We've waited over 2 years for this- much longer actually. She knew before I did that I would be coming here. She prayed for me years before my first visit here, knowing this would be in my heart. After learning that he good friend Sandi's daughter was moving to Nigeria (I was yet in junior high I think) she started praying about the time she would have to let her own daughter go. As I struggled with my decision to come or not to come- she was a strong rock. In 2006 as I spent my first 3 weeks here the praise song "Blessed Be Your Name" ran through my head often. In some ways it became the song I associated with my time here. After returning home I knew that I wanted to come back. Many things delayed that from happening and I began to question whether it was to be a one time trip for me. As I shared with my mom she told me how while I was here the first time and many times since she has been awakened in the night with the song "Blessed Be Your Name" running through her mind. I had never shared with her that this was the song I associated with Sierra Leone. God is good and gives us these little reassurances that I really cherish. I love that my mom and I are so connected and finally she will actually see this place that I know she already feels. AND YES JK loves Karen too. I mean who wouldn't. Especially because she was so good at taking care of him while he was home. He loved playing darts for the first time- with my mom getting a bullseye while we were all NOT looking and yelling at us that "YALL MISSED IT!!!" While stomping her foot. He loves that my mom is actually the one with all the musical talent- playing the quitar able to keep the right rythym with the shaker...AND Last but certainly not Least is Amers. EVERYONE here is waiting for Amy to come. I went a few weeks back to Freetown and traveled back with my friend Rainny- all the kids thought I said Amy so before I was even awake in the morning they were standing on the veranda of my hut yelling for Amy to come out. They were not happy when I said it would still be a couple weeks. Amy has made some good friends here during her visits. I love that my sister and best friends is loved as much as I am here. From her first visit here, before JK and I ever built a relationship- JK and Amy started to be friends. I'm thankful that they are friends too. Not too long from now we will all be together again- in AFRICA. We are starting out trip African style right away. As they fly in with their 8 suitcases and carry-ons we are still using the jeep- 6 people with carry-ons inside and 8 suitcases tied to the top- we'll be sure to post that photo too.
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