Early Days

Our first day back we gathered with Gracy's family for a celebratory lunch.  It was wonderful to see familiar faces and spaces that we had longed to see for many months.  The food wasn't bad either.  We don't eat a lot of lunch meat, sandwiches, and salads in China.  So this was indeed a readymade feast.  After filling our bellies, the name of the game was staying awake until bedtime!  Having slept maybe a total of 3-4 hours in 21, I was the first one to go down for the count.  Gracy and the kids fared better.

The weekend led to a joyful reunion with members of our home church.  It was special worshipping freely with fellow saints with a good cup of coffee in hand.  The message was on point and we were on cloud nine.  The following week included more coffee and more friends.

In the weeks that followed, we were hearing the first signs that the virus was abating in China and were beginning to dream of an early or late April return to our field of service.  Then we began to hear reports that COVID-19 had popped up in Washington State.  At first, the reports were sporadic and I maintained an optimistic outlook that what we experienced abroad was unlikely to repeat itself here.

But as I sit here now on my picturesque porch in Eastern Georgia, everything has changed and yet somehow everything is the same!