To Everything There is a Season

For everything there is a season and a time for everything under Heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

For going on eight years, I have lived among the Dagaaba people of Lawra in the Upper West Region of Ghana. I have worked in the surrounding villages and even call one of them, Kalsagri, my “home village.” People have invited me into their homes and into their lives. They have become family to me.

So, it is with mixed emotions that I am writing to say that September 21, 2018, I will be leaving Ghana and moving into a new chapter of life. I will have a six month long final Home Assignment. During this time I will visit my partnering churches, connect with the TMS Global Office and debrief. I will also look forward to starting over again and “nesting” in my new to me place of residence.

These past years have been amazing. God has allowed me to be His hands and feet and voice in so many places. I have seen “my boys” grow up and become teachers and nurses while the younger ones have learned to read and write. I have seen churches grow, thrive and stand on their own two feet. I have seen leaders rise up out of congregations and take their place in their church. I have seen people, young and old, profess faith in Jesus Christ for the first time. I have seen young guys get excited about reading the words of Jesus for the first time in their own language! Oh, my! It has been an amazing time here.

But, my work is done here. Ghanaians can do and should be doing what I am doing now. It is time to return to the US. It is time to reunite with blood family, and be reunited with friends, and be in the land of good medical care. And, it is time for me to enjoy my days and years of retirement.

I want to thank you for your support during my time in Ghana. Many of you have supported me even before I moved here. Please, please continue to pray for me. Pray for a healthy “Good Bye.” I want to finish well. Pray for a smooth transition. Pray, too, for the people here, who will stay as I leave. I have been a part of them for years and they, too, will feel the pain of separation.

If you support me financially, please continue to do so through my time of Home Assignment – March 2019. I will be “on the road” a lot of that time. And, if the weather doesn’t allow it (Erie, Pennsylvania and surrounding areas tend to get a LOT of snow), I will continue with visiting supporting churches after the spring thaw.

It has been a privilege to be your representative in Lawra, Ghana. God bless you!

Love,

Sue

44 Days

44 days! Yes, 44 days. I have been back in the US for 44 days. It's been a time of laughter and a time of tears. It's been a time of joy and sorrow. It's been a time of relaxation and work. It's been a time of travel and of staying put. Yes, life here in the US is full of paradoxes. It's nice to be here, but I wonder what is going on at home. I feel torn at times. I'm enjoying being with family, reconnecting with friends and loving the hot and cold running water. Yet, I wonder, "How is Uncle Christopher's funeral going? How is Razak and the family doing in the midst of their grief? How is Boniface and Pius? Are they getting ready to go back to school? How is the church doing? Will Matthias be able to take the Local Preacher's Test?" and a lot more!

Still, while I am here, I am able to share their stories, the stories that are being written by their lives. I can share with others how God is working in the villages of Kalsagri and Kunyukuo. So far, I have told their stories more than 15 times in formal, scheduled settings and numerous times in a relaxed informal setting.

I have also taken time to visit family, enjoy the company of friends and, to see dentists and doctors, too. This morning I will travel to see some dear friends and their family. There will be food, fellowship and sharing what God has been doing in our lives and in the lives of those we love both near and far. Tomorrow, I will be sharing at another church. I love to tell the story. I am amazed at what God has done and continues to do. And, I wonder what He will do in the next 68 days!

Missing Easter...or Not!

 

Lord, today I am "missing Easter." I am missing all of the preparations that I would be doing in the US....boiling the eggs and coloring them, baking the almond puff pastry, jelly beans and chocolate cashew eggs and decorating as if spring has arrived. Oh, and the scent of hyacinths, my mom loved hyacinths. I am missing familiar Easter hymns. And I am missing being with my family and friends.

 

Yet, Lord, I know that isn't what Easter is all about. it isn't about polish sausage and a butter lamb and jelly beans and chocolate. It's about You. It's about Your triumph over death, crushing the head of the serpent. It's about victory so that we, including myself, can be with You in Your Kingdom for all eternity. 

 

So, what do I do? I will ride my bicycle into town. I will buy eggs. Maybe I will be able to buy some bread flour. I can buy some chocolate (even if it is far from a chocolate cashew egg!) When the internet is working, I can email my brothers. I can write my sister a letter. And, I can focus on You, worship You with my Ghanaian friends and family.

 

On the first day of the week...the stone had been taken away from the tomb..."Why do you seek the living among the dead?

 



God Be with You 'Til We Meet Again

The day was Sunday, 17 August 2014. It was around noontime. Worship service was just about over. Announcements were being made. All was well...until I made the final announcement of the day. "I love Kalsagri. You have become my family...You have noticed that I have been sitting more frequently..." It was the beginning of a very difficult announcement. I was traveling back to America for surgery, for a knee replacement. I would be gone for 5 1/2 months...

As I spoke, I watched the faces of the congregation. The surprise. The shock. The love. The concern. And, something stirred within me. It was the same thing I experienced in August 1996, when I was leaving a camp in Russia. An 8 year old girl, an orphan was sobbing on my shoulder...and I on hers. I didn't intend to "get involved" with anyone then, just like I didn't realize how interwoven my life was with the lives of the people of Kalsagri. I was in pain (still am). I knew I needed surgery. But, oh, how hard it was to let people know I was leaving.

I was able to worship with the Kalsagri church one more time before I left Ghana. The congregation prayed for me with such faith and such love and such passion...how could God not answer their prayers? I miss them. And, my prayer is, "God be with you until we meet again."



The Paradox Continues

This week I went shopping. I didn't visit too many stores - Wal Mart, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Staples and K Mart. All but once, I went in, looked around and bought only what I intended to buy when I walked into the store. The one time I didn't, I only spent an extra $2. Shopping is not one of my favorite past times.

But, it is Christmas season. There are so many pretty things to look at: Christmas mugs and plates, Christmas napkins, Christmas towels, stuffed Christmas toys (soft & cuddly), warm jackets, mittens...all kinds of fun stuff. It's so tempting. I have to remind myself that I don't "need" any of it. I'm moving in two months. But, it;s so nice..."No, let it go, don't even go there." And, I keep walking. It's fun to look - sometimes.

Yes, the paradox continues. I'm torn between two worlds. One foot is here in Pennsylvania and the other foot is ready to be placed in Ghana. It's happy & sad at the same time. And it's all good. I'm getting through it because of the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ and the prayers of friends. And, I will continue to get through it because of them.

Today

This morning most of my belongings are going up to my church. I will have a moving sale there on Saturday. And, although this excites me and makes me happy, there is some sadness, too. This apartment has been home to me for 15 years. Along with help from the Lord, it has been transformed from the place where I live to home. There are a lot of memories here, connected with the "stuff" that I am saying "good bye" to. So, it is a bittersweet day. And, I know that's OK because God is in control and He is leading me. Before I realize the time that has gone by, I'll be saying my good byes to friends and family, not to "stuff." And through our tears that will most likely mark our separation, we will be rejoicing because God has done a good and marvelous work in my life.

Pair O' Ducks

As I was driving home from Erie this morning, I was deep in thought. I was thinking about the "Pair O' Ducks" of my life right now. I am so excited and looking forward to moving to Ghana. I am moving forward in that direction. I'm support raising, which is a given. But, I am also packing boxes of "stuff" I want to sell or give away. Little by little, shelves, drawers, closets, cupboards are being cleared out. Some of my furniture is awaiting for me to say, "Come and pick up your 'new' bed or chair or whatever." I'm beginning to simplify my life in this way, looking forward to the day when I will board the plane and fly to the children in Ghana that I long to see again.

Yet, I love this season, the fall colors are beautiful. Once again, I am sleeping under my big, fuzzy blanket from Kazakhstan. Hooded sweatshirts and flannel pajama pants are my work at home "uniform." The scent of fall candles is comforting. Hot tea in the afternoon is rejuvenating. I want to put out my fall decorations and am tempted to buy one or two more. The Thanksgiving and Christmas stuff is beautiful. And, again, my heart is longing...a "pair o' ducks."

My paradox (pair o' ducks) is the contradictory statements or the inconsistency in what I am experiencing. It's not wrong, it's just the way it is. I'm happy to be on this journey, yet it is bittersweet because I am saying "farewell" to things that have been a part of my life for so long. I am embracing both...the happy, pleasant duck, or feelings, and the yucky duck, or feelings. They both need to be felt. Both need to be a part of my life at this time. Some days are easier than others. Some days are harder. It is the peace of Christ that keeps me going at times like these.

I know, at least in part, the adventure He has for me. And I intend to travel on that adventure praising Him and giving Him the glory, even in the midst of the "pair o' ducks" of my life.