Trip Thoughts

Well, I'm back from Togo and readjusting to life at home. I would have just jumped right in were it not for the sickness I acquired my last 2 days in Kara. Even though my trip ended on a negative note with a double case of malaria and an intestinal ameoba, I have chosen to only look at the positives of my trip. Sure, being sick is a reality and I accept that, but I will not let it define my trip. That being said, on the plane home I wrote down many of the positive things that happened on my trip that I will share now.

1. Being in africa again, specifically in Togo, felt very right and very normal. That is a gift from God.

2. The long drive from Accra to Kara with Matt. We had more good talks than we knew what to do with.

3. The Sunday Legue-Legue village visit. Being able to reconnect, be remembered, and have an impact in just a few short hours was very encouraging. Watching my teammates (in this case Matt) work again is highly motivating for me. Also, seeing the rest of the Miller family interact with the people in the village was good too. We may have missed church, but I feel like we were able to do some good ministry in its place.

4. Just spending time with the team as a whole. I realized that I really like these people we have committed to as teammates. They are genuine, funny, spiritual, loving, caring, adventurous people. The chemistry is there for many years of bonding.

5. I was consciously and subconsciously resurveying Kara. I learned that life has changed quite a bit in the last 3 years in this little Kabiye town. More comforts, more amenities, more stuff available, and a growing city were very encouraging to see.

6. Observing missionary family life again. I look forward to hours and hours of family time that we otherwise may have missed out on in the states. I also am glad that we have three sets of very experienced parents to learn from.

7. Seeing how well Matt, Dave, & Bryan are doing in language. Their language, interaction, and temperament when working with the Kabiye people has grown a lot in the last 3 years. I know that they will be invaluable as I learn these things for myself.

8. Finding us a place to live. April and I have decided to move into the Neal's old house. Even though we went back to our original choice, I am glad that i was able to go through the process. I learned a lot and I think that we are going into a really good situation.

9. Getting video footage with Matt at Katchade (*sp?). The footage I got, along with pics and videos from Bryan's computer, will give us some great stuff to use leading up to and after Missions Weekend at Grace Pointe.

10. I got lots of helpful spoken advice and written documents from our teammates. The Reeves gave us some very useful start-up stuff and the Millers and the Rieses also gave us some good information. I also look forward to getting info from the Neals now that they are stateside, and I feel much more knowlegable and prepared for what lies ahead in the coming months.

11. SAFARI! We saw lions. Enough said.

12. The long drive with Bryan from Kara to Accra. It was good to learn more about Bryan. I really enjoyed our drive and I look forward to many more in the future.

13. Even though it's #13, I consider this to be the main positive that I took from this trip. I was blessed with a reconfirmation of God's calling for the Emersons to the Kabiye. May He reveal many more truths to April and me in the weeks ahead. I thank Him and praise Him for his faithfulness during this trip.

Thanks for your prayers. Pictures to follow!