Edie and I return home on furlough once every three years as missionaries. We are now on our second furlough after six years of service. Each time we return, we experience surprises in reverse culture shock. Walking into Walmart and seeing the vast quantity of food, clothing, and houseware with various brands, colors, and styles brings tears to our eyes. It is sensory overload! We are also shocked by the abundance of self-checkout lines in stores. What happened to cashiers?

But we are fascinated with the new technologies. During our 2018 furlough, the latest tech that everyone had was Alexa and Google speakers and screens. We were amazed that all you needed to do was speak to Alexa, and the computer would turn on the house lights, play music or answer a question. During this furlough, we are surprised that, in many of the homes we have visited, people have stopped using their ovens and microwaves and now cook their food in air fryers. We must admit that the food does cook much faster than in an oven and has a better texture than in a microwave. When we return to Mozambique, maybe we can find an air fryer, too.

But our most concerning shock this furlough has been church attendance. Where is everyone? Many of the congregations are at 30 to 40 percent capacity. We are not trying to judge, but we are full of questions. How is virtual church (staying home watching sermons on TV) going? Is it all that you expected? Is virtual church the new reality going forward? Will people ever come back to a brick-and-mortar church? How is evangelism doing in the virtual church?

Going to church and Sabbath School is a privilege for which about half of our members in Mozambique face persecution regularly. Please join us in praying for their continued resolve and faithfulness and that their persecutors will hear the Spirit urging them to follow. Let us also pray for our own churches, both in the U.S.A. and abroad, that they will fill back up and actively evangelize.

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