5 Days 'Til We Return

Twelve years ago we boarded a KLM flight from Nairobi via Amsterdam to Los Angeles.  My burgeoning seven-month pregnant belly made the 22 hours of plane travel slightly uncomfortable.  We left the roads of Kenya thinking we would finish grad school and return after the baby was born and settle in our hut and resume life as we knew it.  However, plans changed as they often do, and we were shifted into a new plan and a new journey.  Since we've talked about going back for so long, I'm still pinching myself!

My Little Packing Helper

In a few days, I will once again walk the plane's aisles and the roads of Kenya.  This time with a one-year-old, a nine-year-old, that 12-year-old that once took the journey as he grew inside of me, and my husband again by my side.  Our first years of marriage were spent simply in a hut, and much of our habits and foundations was established during that time.  It's been a dream to take our children back to where it all began for us. 

Although it will only be a fortnight in country, we want our children to understand this trip is about something bigger than themselves.  Our society puts much emphasis on "what can I get?", or "I worked hard, so I deserve that" instead of "how can I give?", and sometimes that buds its ugly head in us and in our children.  But it's in true giving that we actually are the ones that get the most.  It seems paradoxical, but there's never been a giver who's said, "wish I didn't give."  The rewards are intangible.  It's the right thing. That's why Proverbs is slathered in verses about giving, not getting (or whining when it doesn't go our way).  It's already been a joy to see our children begin to understand the meaning of giving, and we pray it's a continual lifelong journey for all of us. 

"One person gives freely, yet gains even more."-Proverbs 11:24a