Ants in the Sugar Bowl by Elizabeth Givens

So send I you
   To ants in the sugar bowl,
   To things that fly, creep and crawl into the house,
   To uncertain water, sporadic electricity.
   To long hours, sweltering heat, exhausting days,
   To uncomfortable vehicles, crowded jeeps, smelly buses.
   To noisy early, early mornings,
   To rice, rice and more rice.
   To poverty you didn’t believe existed,
   To masses of people like you have never seen,
   To know and work with people who have never known comfort,
So send I you, and I expect you to adjust.

So send I you
   To people who will give to you from their poverty,
   To friends who will embarrass you with their generosity,
   To pastors who will entertain you from their lack, with beauty.
   To hungry, receptive, questioning people who want to know God,
   To study, to teach, to learn from your study and teaching,
   To prove your own motives, values and beliefs,
   To learn about yourself and the culture that has reared you,
   To know God and to understand more deeply dependence on Him,
So send I you. Are you going? I’ll go with you all the way.

These last two weeks have been intense cultural training. It has included A LOT of self reflection and evaluation: discussing our strengths, our growth
areas, how to deal with different conflict styles, how we handle transition and change. We also experienced two simulations to help us realize how we handle cultural differences and stress. We also discussed the importance of sabbath and creating rhythms of rest in a new world of stress. It has been incredibly insightful, challenging and impactful. We’d love to tell you more details when we see you.

We have also loved getting to know the community of missionaries and staff here at MTI. There were 61 of us: 41 adults and 20 kids. Twenty eight families in all. Missionaries going around the world, from around the world. We’ve been blessed to get to know several very well and now have prayer partners all over the globe.

But, if we are honest, we are also very excited to have some family time and space! We say our goodbyes today, pack our stuff and head back to Mesquite, Texas. We have a few weeks for final preparations to send our shipping container, including a massive garage sale. We have a visit to Belton for a farewell & fundraiser luncheon on November 8 and the following week we have a family workshop to help our family understand and process through why we’re moving to Uganda. After that, we will have time visiting family and friends as the holidays approach.

So many things going on with us. We are trying to stay focused on the here and now and let God be in control. We appreciate your prayers and look forward to seeing YOU very soon!