The wind chills were -20° F the day we left Michigan for our flight out of Chicago. The freezing temperatures added to the stressful previous two weeks of preparing to launch to our project; stressful, particularly because our children would be leaving their friends from school. Yet our faces shone with joy on the day we departed, anticipating our reunion with our families in Africa for some time together before entering our project. Further blessing us that day was the love of the AFM team that accompanied us from Michigan to the airport and the friendly employees who helped them ensure that we and our numerous pieces of luggage were checked in for our flights.

Although the children ate almost nothing on the flight because they did not like the food that was offered, we were thankful to arrive in Paris the following morning, where, after a short delay, we boarded our plane for an eight-hour flight to Conakry, Guinea. By the time we landed and grabbed our luggage, it was 7:30 p.m. Those of our parents who were able to make the trip to greet us were thrilled at our reunion.

At 9:00 p.m., our luggage now loaded onto the truck, we left for our 100 mile, seven-hour drive to Fria. We were exhausted and famished when we finally arrived at the house at 4:00 a.m., where, despite the late hour, more parents excitedly embraced us. 

We are thankful for God’s protection during the trip and delighted to be reunited with family and friends. We thank each of you and our donors who have prayed for and supported us throughout our journey to reach the mission field. This short reunion with our loved ones gives us a small taste of the great and eternal reunion we will have with all of God’s family in heaven. Amen!

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