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| 2 years ago at their house by the ocean |
After some consideration, our leaders were excited about the idea of restarting work on Clove Island. They asked one of the former workers on Clove Island for his opinion— he was very excited about the idea of restarting the work on Clove Island and said the island needed an older couple, with experience, impeccable French, who could really take control of the messy situations.
This was not us— we were young, first-time leaders, who hadn’t learned any French yet. Still we and our leaders remained excited about us going. It was going to be challenging. For the first several months, we would be alone— the only workers on the island, jumping into those messy situations with our little experience.
We went through our year of French school and were preparing to head to Clove Island when we received the news. A group from Europe had started working on Clove Island! The leaders were an older couple, with lots of experience among similar peoples. They had impeccable French and knew Arabic too. One was a native French speaker and they were already diving into some of the complicated relationships.
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| In the US-- learning about bikes! |
How excited we were! We became even more excited and relieved when we got to Clove Island and met this couple. They were kind, gentle and wise. We were all like-minded, willing and interested to listen and learn from each other. They graciously invited us to meet with them regularly during our months alone. They spoke with the wisdom of their experiences and saw us very much as being on the same team. We became friends and we always enjoyed those restful times together at their house by the ocean. What an answer to prayer!
For the past 3.5 years we’ve worked alongside this couple, enjoying their fellowship, learning from each other and strategizing together. But this spring while we were away, they had to leave Clove Island suddenly. She had become sick and was collecting fluid in her abdomen. They first went to the neighboring French island and thought they would be back soon. But quickly they realized the situation was serious. They were taken back to Europe and after a few weeks learned that she had an aggressive form of cancer. This past week, she passed away.
She was a wonderful gift to Clove Island and to us— a woman with experience and yet great humility. She was kind and encouraging. She jumped into language learning (which is often harder the older you get) and was a crucial player in getting the translation project for our island started. She was a wonderful team leader, wife, and friend. She will be greatly missed.
At the same time we rejoice that her suffering was short and are thankful to have the assurance that we will see her again one day.
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| Overlapping with a former youth group |
Our first week in the States has gone well. The kids have transitioned well so far. We’ve had to meet up with a few friends that are leaving the area shortly— we were thankful to overlap with them even if it was only briefly. Our calendar for the coming months is coming together and starting to take shape.
PRAYERS REQUESTED
Please pray for her husband— her illness and death came so suddenly. We know his future plans are up in the air now. Also pray for him as he tries to make sure his wife’s elderly mother gets the care she needs. Pray also for their team still on the island as they grieve and process what has happened.
We leave on our first domestic trip today! Please pray for the travels. Pray especially for our youngest— he is sick. He’s sleeping right now but we’ll have to wake him soon to go to the airport. Pray that we would have good transitions and interactions with all we meet.
