Furlough

People ask questions like, how does it feel to be back in the US? Where is home by now? Are you ready to go back? I really don't mind these questions so if you asked one of them, it is fine! But they can be so hard to answer. Being in the US is wonderful. We make precious memories with family and friends. We wonder why we agreed to leave this good life. We eat way more good food then we should. And we soak in the advice and encouragement from people we respect and value. But there is also that part of us that doesn't fit. We are different from when we lived there. We have been changed so much by the life we live that it looks like the US has changed. Our church doesn't feel the same. Grocery shopping feels strange. Even the nieces and nephews have grown into people we don't feel like we know. And it all combines to make us feel like a square peg in a round hole. And it is just the natural occurrence. No ones fault. And then we start to wonder, where is our home? Do we belong here or there? So a part of us wants to go back to our home where maybe we will fit in better. But a part of us wants to keep living the easy life in the US. (Not saying life in the US is easy. Furlough life is easy because people cater to you and you don't do any hard labor.) And then it is time to return to our home. Good byes are hard and I avoid them as much as possible. Especially with family and dear friends. And then we arrive back home. But it doesn't feel like home. The roads are bumpier then you remembered. Your kitchen has lizards and cockroaches that you forgot about. And there is ants and dirt everywhere. We are still in the fitting back in stage, so maybe someday I will have a more comprehensive look at furlough and its perks. For now I am enjoying be near the ocean, the burning sun on my head, and the many little arms that open wide for a hug. Hopefully I will soon forget how quiet and clean the US is......
Watching airplanes while we wait for ours!
On a layover in London. That bed wasn't close enough in my mind!
Driving their very own tractor.
A rainbow after a storm.
So many precious memories with family. That was the best part of being there in the summer. Being able to do so many things.
We celebrated Kelsey and Mirandas' birthdays a bit early. These three cousins are all the same age and they made many memories as well.
If anything would keep our boys in the US it is definitely their cousins!

Headed back to Ghana with all our luggage. Brent was tickled with his new back pack and suitcase (thanks Community Aide!)


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