A Time of Goodbyes

As any missionary (or expat) will tell you, you say goodbye often in this line of work. People come and go and few stay for the same length of time as you, at the same time. You have people who have been in place for years, but it’s time for them to retire. You have people who are new and it isn’t a good fit. You have people who are moved from one place to another without a say in when. And you all pass each other. Each phase is a season and you learn, via the sink or swim method, to enjoy each season for what it is and know that the next new season is around the corner, whatever it may be.

This week has included a lot of goodbyes. Most are temporary, thankfully, and a few are unknown. I guess, the reality is, they are all unknown, because plans change and Congo can change, too. But, by the end of this week, it will be just us and one other MAF family here in the city…and they leave next week. Vacations, rest furloughs, or longer furloughs were all on the menu for this summer and fall, which oddly leaves us alone for some time (there are people returning just after the last leaves). Other missionaries and expats are also somehow due for breaks at the same time, or they are returning stateside for other reasons, like licensing and job commitments there. So, we have a rather vanilla “summer” looming for the next two months. The good news is that we have plenty to do and work to keep us busy.

Matthew has a few projects at work* that he will now take the time to focus on during the lull of people. The kids and I have six weeks of school to wrap up, since we took lots of time off during the “traditional” months for moving and Piper’s birth, so home life will stay mostly the same, minus the social dates we had once in a while.

This time of year is the best weather, in my opinion, so we are content to be able to enjoy that. It is much cooler and drier. Instead of 95F and ridiculous humidity, it’s more like a mild summer or even fall. Today I was almost chilly! So, I like sticking around this time of year just to be able to live life without as much sweat.

Of course, not EVERYONE is leaving. There are a few sticking around and we hope to take the opportunity to get to know them a bit more. We also will be keeping an eye on the political situation on the ground. This election year is not setting up like it was supposed to, but so far there have been few problems and we hope that continues.

So, as we say good bye, even if only temporary, please be in prayer for our team as they travel, for the ministries here in Congo as they might have limited flight services, and for other issues as they might crop up. So far, we are enjoying our time and are nearing our one-year mark here in Kinshasa! It’s gone by so quickly! And, before we know it, it will be our turn for a little break. And, of course, as people return, we will be able to assist with resettling and we get to welcome a new MAF family coming fresh from language school in France in early August. They have three kiddos the same genders and ages as our oldest three, so we look forward to new friendships.

Thank you for your prayers, now and as we continue.

*I call it work, because his job within MAF operates much like any other typical job. He leaves early in the morning, gets home in the late afternoon, and has office hours (minus Congo irregularities). To some, you probably didn’t notice the verbage used, because it’s so natural. To others, our ministry and life as missionaries looks oddly similar to life in the US, because of the type of ministry we do here and because we are in a big city.