Baggage Claim

Weeks before leaving, Lauren and I spent hours going over packing lists. We made sure we had everything we could possibly need for the year in one of our suitcases. As visitors came, they supplied us with more items that weren’t in our original bags, supplementing our stock pile of goods. So much time, effort and thought went into packing to come here. With only a few weeks left now comes the time when I start to think about what I am bringing home.

Unlike the lists of supplies we made to come here, our list of physical items we will be taking home is extremely limited. Almost all of our clothing and all the pairs of shoes we brought with us will stay here and will go to members of the community who will greatly benefit from them. A lot of our spices and kitchen supplies that we brought will be going to a missionary family from Canada; along with our remaining bottles of sunscreen (they will need it!). We will be leaving our games with numerous friends who we have enjoyed playing them with throughout the year. A good amount of our electronics we have used throughout our time here will stay behind and be used by the school. Compared to the amount of “things” we came with, we are coming back with hardly anything at all. 

It is hard to come all the way to Africa and not return home with a few wooden trinkets to put in your house as a beautiful reminder. Of course those souvenirs will be packed up ready to go back, but the most important things we will be returning with can’t be packed up in a suitcase. The most important things we will be returning with are things that can’t be as easily seen or displayed. 

Although our suitcases may not be full heading home, our hearts, minds and spirits will be overflowing. All of the memories we have formed the past year will be carried with us long after we reach our final destination. Unlike our suitcases, our hearts will be full of the faces and names of our students, who we will continue to pray for and think about and the impact they had on us. Our minds will be a jumble of emotions as we transition back into life in the United States. Emotions that will be triggered by things such as seeing the first rainfall and knowing that survival doesn’t depend on it or seeing an ambulance and knowing that patient will have the best care available to them with equipment that is working correctly. Shaking hands with people after a Sunday worship and knowing a quarter of them are not HIV positive, walking into a classroom and seeing enough desks and equipment for each and every student in the class, flipping on a light switch and not having to worry that the power is on or off are just a few things that will bring all emotions and memories of this year that we carry with us to the surface. 

The things I am bringing home cannot be put in a suitcase, they cannot be weighed on a scale at the airport, and they do not need a luggage tag. The things I am bringing home have changed my heart, mind and soul. They have changed my way of thinking, and they have changed the way I want to live my life. I may not be able to display these things on a shelf, but I hope and pray that they will be visible through me and through all of you who have been on this journey with me. Thank you for your prayers as I continue to “pack” here, and I ask for your continued prayers while I transition home and begin to “unpack” all I have learned, seen and experienced.