A Year in Review: 2013

A random store in Cairo!

Happy New Year! 

I know.  I know.  I'm 12 days late, but this is truly as soon as I could carve out some moments to write to you.  I'm almost catatonic sitting at the keyboard trying to put into words everything that has taken place over the last few weeks as well as reflecting on 2013 as a whole.  So if you'll permit me, I'll probably be breaking this into something like 32 parts…okay maybe that many, but several.

Let's start with the Year in Review: 2013.

New Year's Eve (2012) we said tearful "See you laters" to our daughters, family and friends as we prepared to return to Africa for another season of serving in S*dan.  We first arrived in Kenya to meet up with our team of teachers for a time of prayer and preparation before going back in.  On January 9, with prayer and trepidation we made it through airport security celebrating with big grins and silent high fives.

My class that I taught for 5 days.

For John and me, our time in S*dan only lasted 11 days.  Turmoil within the country had been growing over the last few months until the president decided that all foreigners needed to go, including us.  So our "Welcome Back" party and our "Goodbye" party were one in the same.  The government did, however, allow the teachers to remain.

 We were asked by our company to live in Kenya and remain in contact with the teachers throughout the remainder of their stay.  The next 3 months were the most intense, challenging months imaginable.  The S*danese government turned up the heat seizing vehicles, pulling passports and harassing its citizens and ex-pats.  We literally slept with our phones by our heads every night in case some new situation arose (which often did).

By the end of March, it was clear that the teachers would need to leave.  They quickly packed their belongings and joined us in Kenya for a time of debriefing.  Even as I type this, my eyes well up with tears when I think of each of these wonderful people who so faithfully endured under extremely difficult circumstances with unbelievable unity and lovingkindness.  They are truly remarkable, dedicated friends and have our deepest respect.

There were better group photos but this is a testament
to their endurance…a 12 hour bus ride!

Once we navigated through the first few months of the year, the obvious question came:  What's next?  We had arrived in January anticipating years in S*dan, not days.  We spent a few more weeks in Kenya praying, thinking, looking to the sky for a "Surrender Dorothy!" sign of some sort.  Nothing.  At least nothing new.  We still felt an attachment to S*dan, but attributed that to the fact that we were in the grieving stage…so we waited.

Some of the best advice we ever received from a dear pastor was: When you don't hear anything new from God, go back to the last word He spoke and continue from there.  So we did.  We began looking for a place close to the S*dan border where we could continue language study, stay in contact with our S*danese friends and have a way back in if the opportunity arose.  That place was Aswan, Egypt.  

At the edge of the canyon…

We needed to discuss all of this with our company leaders so we returned to the U.S. in June for a meeting.  This also allowed us time to visit our girls.  (Insert a VERY happy mama face here.)  We hung out with Emileigh in Springfield, MO, before we all packed up to go visit Aria who was working at the Grand Canyon for the summer.  Aria proved a brilliant tour guide showing us her very favorite places that she discovered during her down hours from moving laundry bags that were the same size and weight that she was!

It IS a very Grand Canyon!

It was so great to hug them, talk about life and see their lives in action.  Soon it was time for us to return, so with a bag full of Bath & Body Works products and chocolate chips, we made the 27 hour trip back across the pond.

We settled into a small Nubian village on the Nile in August starting life once again.  (This was our 11th living space since January.)  We had lived in Cairo for a year in 2009 so we were familiar with Egypt somewhat.  However, the difference between Cairo and Aswan is like comparing New York City to Springfield, MO.  Aswan has a much slower pace and relaxed feel.

Egypt was experiencing troubles of its own and we found ourselves right smack dab in the middle of another government upheaval.  But our Egyptian friends were so very kind to advise us when to stay in and when to venture out.  Political "snow days" became a part of our lives as we hunkered down while the Egyptian people processed through the governmental transition.

Months passed and while not everything is settled, there seems to be a level of fragile stability that has come.  Our Nubian neighbors have welcomed us with open arms extending as many invitations for tea as I can manage.

The classic Sphinx pose...

We received amazing news that Emileigh and her boyfriend, Jacob, would be visiting us for Christmas.  (Airplane tickets are costly so Aria will wait to visit us during Summer 2014.)  December 20th, they landed and we hit the ground running showing Jacob all of the wonders of Egypt that we could manage.  

Jacob managed his own moment of wonder as he proposed to Emileigh on Qsr el Nil (also known as "The Bridge of Love").  We were so thrilled to be a part of this amazing event and couldn't be happier for the upcoming May wedding!

She said YES!

The remainder of their visit was spent with us in Aswan where I cooked real food for them (vs. cafeteria food) and also included a sailboat ride down the Nile on Christmas day.  

Our ride down the Nile

Too soon our time together concluded and we parted ways at the Cairo airport.  They returned to the US while we spent the remainder of the year in South Africa for a company retreat.

Posing with a Mandela
made entirely of beads.

As I read over this, I can hardly believe that this was my life in 2013…Little Ol' Pam from Springfield, MO…mini-van mom, wifey, professional Panera luncher and follower of Jesus.  I can say that through everything that God has met every single need, every time.  We still have a healthy sense of humor…(slightly warped, but we were like that before all this…)  

Our daughters are happy, thriving, loving Jesus.  Emileigh will wrap up her college time as a student and Resident Assistant at Evangel in May.  She'll then start her life as a married woman a few days later and begin to prepare for a career as an Air Force Arabic translator.  She dresses vintage, runs an Etsy shop and writes a great blog (www.flashbacksummer.blogspot.com).  She has a wonderful heart and longs to serve as a liaison between the two cultures she loves so much.

Emileigh and Aria's Hall wins a major award.

Jacob is a wonderful, sincere man and we are so happy to welcome him to the family.  (I'll try to keep my comments limited here so I don't become THAT mother-in-law, but he IS amazing.)

Yeah, she's pretty awesome.

Aria is almost halfway through her Evangel years.  Her compassionate heart coupled with her adventurous spirit make for an amazing combination.  She leads a prayer effort on campus, is president of her hall, loves her friends well and has been known to busk now and then for coffee funds.  She's a graphic art major with a health minor which explains why she carries a bag of dehydrated blueberries in her camera case at all times.

We have hope for the future.  We wait expectantly for the doors of S*dan to reopen.  

What will 2014 look like?  I can't even begin to guess, but I love the verses in Psalm 112 and I'm praying through these verses for our family and you this year.  (I started to highlight certain verses but then realized ALL of the verses are great.)

Praise the Lord!

How joyful are those who fear the Lord
    and delight in obeying his commands.
2 
Their children will be successful everywhere;
    an entire generation of godly people will be blessed.
3 
They themselves will be wealthy,
    and their good deeds will last forever.
4 
Light shines in the darkness for the godly.
    They are generous, compassionate, and righteous.
5 
Good comes to those who lend money generously
    and conduct their business fairly.
6 
Such people will not be overcome by evil.
    Those who are righteous will be long remembered.
7 
They do not fear bad news;
    they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.
8 
They are confident and fearless
    and can face their foes triumphantly.
9 
They share freely and give generously to those in need.
    Their good deeds will be remembered forever.
    They will have influence and honor.
10 

The wicked will see this and be infuriated.
    They will grind their teeth in anger;
    they will slink away, their hopes thwarted.

Friends in Northern S*dan...