We have been
stateside for about seven weeks now. It has been wonderful spending time with family and
friends. Catching up with people
who may not have been “in the loop” with the ministry in Swaziland has been
amazing on many levels, but sharing the stories has been by far my favorite
part of this journey. We have
spoken to about ten groups/churches since our arrival and absolutely love
sharing our Swazi experiences from the past two years.
If
you see us, you would think that we are settled into life back in the United
States. Going to church, eating at
Moe’s, and shopping at Dollar General are all part of “The American” experience
that we have endured. Looks can
sometimes be deceiving though.
This re-entry has been a little more overwhelming than any of us
anticipated. I want to share a few
of my “unusual” experiences with you as we are still transitioning into the
American life. I like to call
this:
The Top Ten Ways that You Know You Are a
Missionary in Africa
1. 1. Before beginning home school with the girls
every day, I go out for a run of a few miles. As I am running, I find myself looking for black mambas and
monitor lizards rather than cats or dogs.
I saw a squirrel the other day in a tree and at first glance, I thought
it was a monkey! That’s how you know you are a missionary in Africa!
2. 2. A few days after we landed, we needed to get a
few items at our local Wal-Mart. I
saw many shoppers with full carts, but one in particular caught my
attention. After investigating her
cart, I found many frivolous items.
I proceeded to ask her if she “needed” all the things in her cart and
were they really a necessity.
Because I know about 6000 children who could tell her what a true
necessity is…food, water, and shelter.
After sharing my heart with this precious lady, I realized what I had
just done…. offended a total stranger.
I thanked her for her conversation and walked away. I honestly felt like I was going to be
arrested, but thankfully she did not call security or beat me up. That’s how
you know you are a missionary in Africa!
3. 3. We can’t pass a Mexican restaurant without
stopping in to eat. We know that
we cannot get that type of food in Swaziland, so we must take advantage of
every opportunity available. That’s how you know you are a missionary in
Africa!
4. 4. It’s rare that I go to a grocery store and do
not cry. There are entire aisles
of cereals and chips. So many
choices…of things that will probably be wasted. That’s how you know you are a
missionary in Africa!
5. 5. I go to a mall with my children and they ride up
and down the escalator for pure enjoyment. As people are watching and probably
laughing, all I say is, “We don’t get out much!” That’s how you know you are a missionary in Africa!
6. 6. Other than family and friends, church was the
only thing we missed while being away.
It was such a sweet time to be back at our home church that first
Sunday….but we felt a little cheated.
The service only lasted one hour.
We are totally accustomed to a 3-4 hour service. That’s how you know you
are a missionary in Africa!
7. 7. Being back in America has been great, but not
being the minority is a little strange.
I find myself gravitating to any African-American within close
proximity. I also feel that they
should speak siSwati. Many
occasions I have accidently bumped a sister and said, “Ncesi sisi”. Or when I am walking in a mall and I
pass a group of African-Americans I say, “Unjani?”. I have received many strange looks by a lot of people and I probably
have given some families a lot of laughs.
But…that’s how you know you are a missionary in Africa!
8. 8. I have only driven about three times in the past
seven weeks. The single reason for
this is that Americans drive on the wrong side of the road! They also sit on the wrong side of the
car. The blinker is on also on the
wrong side as well as the windshield wipers. I can’t seem to re-train my brain to the American way.
That’s how you know you are a missionary in Africa!
9. 9. While visiting the mall, I always try to donate
to the Salvation Army bell ringers.
One night, at our local mall, I sent one of our daughters ahead with my
coin purse. I wanted her to empty
the entire purse inside their bucket.
As she was following my wishes, I realized that she was emptying Swazi
money in the bucket. I ran and
screamed, “Stop! That’s the wrong
money!” I did nothing but cause a
huge scene with the surrounding crowd and believe it or not, the bell ringer
stopped ringing his bell. I tried
to explain that “we are not from here” and I think he thought I was a mental
case because he ignored me and started back to his bell ringing duties. That’s
how you know you are a missionary in Africa!
10. 10. The
final reason that you know that you are a missionary in Africa is how much you miss the children you work alongside.
Almost every night before bed, I pull up some of the 8,500 pictures I
have on my computer and watch a slideshow of random pictures from
Swaziland. I may only watch a few
minutes, but not a day goes by that I do not think about those precious
children from the Care Points.
They have captured all of our hearts and we look forward to seeing them
very shortly. That’s how you know you are a missionary in Africa!
We honestly treasure our time here in America with family
and friends. Especially as we get
closer and closer to Christmas.
This will definitely be a holiday to remember! We know that our time here is short and January
23rd will be here in a flash.
While it will be hard to say goodbye, we know that for now, God has us
in Swaziland for this season of our lives. Lord willing, we will return to America in another two years
and we will be able to reawaken those relationships with dear family and
friends!
In Him,
Allison
