Debrief

First day of debrief- fun day at the spring

It really is over.  For the last two and a half years we have lived in close proximity with one another.    Worked together; struggled together; played together and suffered together. We’ve been through a lot.  We’ve had some great highs and some hard lows.  As a team we’ve learned to speak another language without a classroom or text books.  We’ve made friends that may last a lifetime.  We’ve lived in a different part of the world among a people, culture, and faith quite different from our own.  We’ve shared our hearts, our time, our money, our very lives with those around us.  And now, after two and a half years, it has all come to an end.  How do you end well?  How do you say goodbye?

Spring, plus rope swing

I’m glad that the program we’ve been a part of has thought about the necessity of ending well.  And really there are two parts to the ending.  There is saying goodbye to the islands and its people and then saying goodbye to the team.  The team did well saying goodbye on the islands.  Many people were sad to see them go, but the appreciation and love were quite evident, even as many came to the airport to see them off.  And so that part had come to an end.

For our team, we gathered at the program retreat center in a beautiful and relaxing part of Tanzania.  Here for 4 days we played together, reflected together, and with the help of the program leadership, brought our team to a close.

How would you organize a time like this?  I appreciate the way they went about it.  The days were organized very simply.  The first day we had a fun outing as a team—to a natural spring—a sort of oasis in the Tanzanian savannah.  The next three days involved some guided reflection with the team, but it was only in the morning and left much time for relaxing.  The first day was confession.  Very simply, we apologized to one another for all the ways, big and small, we had hurt one another over the years.  The second day was reflection.  We thought about the program and what went well and what didn’t.  If it were up to us, what would we change and what would we keep.  The third day was given over to appreciation.  Each person was appreciated and prayed for.  That night we had a ceremony.  A nice meal and a celebration of completing the program.

As we said goodbye to one another for the last time, giving hugs and promising to keep in touch it felt like we didn’t have to say much.  The important things had been said.  It was sad, but it was good.  Everything has it’s season, and this season had come to its end.  God bless you, teammates.

Yeah, Ma Imani gave birth to a healthy baby!

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We’ve heard from most of our teammates that they have arrived safely to their various destinations. We were able to get our youngest evaluated and the clinic was very accommodating to our tight schedule and our son was in a good mood that day. We made it safely back to the islands. Ma Imani had her baby— a healthy baby girl! The delivery was induced early but now both mother and baby are back home and recovering well.

PRAYERS
It was confirmed that our youngest is not hearing well, but we were relieved to learn that most likely the cause is reversible, though it may mean minor surgery— pray for us as we seek out a second opinion and look into our options for getting him the treatment he needs as soon as possible. The island elections (which happened three weeks ago) have not been officially settled. The initial results have been challenged with two sides claiming victory— today the official results are supposed to be announced. Pray for peace and a healthy transition of government on the islands. Another foreign worker on the island has had to leave suddenly for a medical emergency— it is possible that she is seriously  ill. Pray for her and her husband, as well as those trying to carry on with the work here.