His Return
The day of my husband's homecoming finally arrived. My son Chris and I left for the hour and a half drive to the Dulles Airport. I had talked to Steve the night before. He had been at a hotel a short distance from Heathrow. One of his activities was taking a hot shower (somewhat rare in Uganda) and shaving off his almost 5 week old beard. It looked good on skype. My husband usually does look good with a beard but (I can hear you beard lovers moan) he knows I can't tolerate very well kissing his bearded face. Since kissing his face with gusto was an important part of his anticipated homecoming, Steve knew the beard had to go.
Steve was determined to preach in church the day after he got back. Although he had spent much time preparing the sermon, he spent more time finishing it on the plane until the screen went blank. He didn't give it much thought hoping to be able to pull it up and print it when we got to the church.
Chris and I parked the car and we hurried to find where we were to meet Steve. I'm not sure why I didn't think about customs.They initially said the plane was on time. We watched as the list of international flights going through customs appeared on a large brightly lit board. No British Airline flight was listed. Finally my cell phone rang. Steve's flight had just landed. They were over a half hour late. Then we waited while he went through customs. We had no way of knowing when to expect him. The slowly increasing mass of people waiting for those who had arrived on that long list of flights were jammed together so tightly a quick trip to the bathroom required a winding path.
Suddenly I saw him. Living in a different culture had not changed his appearance. Suddenly I like millions of others felt joy unspeakable well up inside of me when I caught the first sight of my returning loved one. If such a thing could happen my spirit leaped to his side as my body could not. I made my way to where I thought he would be, dreading every second I lost visual contact. I knew he must have been exhausted but the adrenalin rush of finally arriving home kept him alert and talking. Renewed relationships as well as old, well remembered sights as well as freshly explored locations were only part of what he shared and will share. As powerful a pull as sleep deprivation is, Steve talked most of the way home as his son drove.
Our timing was amazing. We pulled in front of the house the same time my son-in-law and granddaughter returned from the store. With hands clenched and feet flying, four year old Grace threw herself into Poppop's arms. Those hugs were priceless. Next Steve held the little one who could not hug him back . He took Henry from his mom and cradled this newest sacred trust.
I went with him to the church where he planned to make a copy of the text of his sermon. It was not there. It seemed to have vanished off of his computer. Instead of being upset by what didn't happen, he just took it in stride. Steve said he had gone over it a number of times and later he would make a few notes. The next morning he preached a very cohesive Christ centered sermon. No one would guess that the case of the missing manuscript was never solved.
Although a number of families had gone camping, we were still blessed with visitors. Our son Josh, his wife Karin and his boys, 3 year old Matthew and 1 1/2 year old Jacob were there. The moment the service ended Matthew made a bee line for Poppop and threw himself into his arms. What a precious thing to be welcomed back so warmly.. Steve's wife, his granddaughter Grace, and his grandson Matthew all joyously welcoming the returning husband and grandfather bring to mind the future joyous return of another loved one. I'll let you consider the connection and draw your own conclusions.
Thank you for all your prayers for Steve's work and his safety. Only part of the story is over. Pray for those who are pastors in Uganda as well as the ones who are still studying. Please pray for the men who will be teaching. Ask God to guide them as they set the standards for each class. Pray that all these men who are not being paid would find the time for their studies and their work. Pray that these men would look more to God's word for the principles they need to live their lives than to the often unbiblical standards set by their culture. Pray for all those who are ministering to these people and for those who will come that they will do so with humility, love, and wisdom.
Chris and I parked the car and we hurried to find where we were to meet Steve. I'm not sure why I didn't think about customs.They initially said the plane was on time. We watched as the list of international flights going through customs appeared on a large brightly lit board. No British Airline flight was listed. Finally my cell phone rang. Steve's flight had just landed. They were over a half hour late. Then we waited while he went through customs. We had no way of knowing when to expect him. The slowly increasing mass of people waiting for those who had arrived on that long list of flights were jammed together so tightly a quick trip to the bathroom required a winding path.
Suddenly I saw him. Living in a different culture had not changed his appearance. Suddenly I like millions of others felt joy unspeakable well up inside of me when I caught the first sight of my returning loved one. If such a thing could happen my spirit leaped to his side as my body could not. I made my way to where I thought he would be, dreading every second I lost visual contact. I knew he must have been exhausted but the adrenalin rush of finally arriving home kept him alert and talking. Renewed relationships as well as old, well remembered sights as well as freshly explored locations were only part of what he shared and will share. As powerful a pull as sleep deprivation is, Steve talked most of the way home as his son drove.
Our timing was amazing. We pulled in front of the house the same time my son-in-law and granddaughter returned from the store. With hands clenched and feet flying, four year old Grace threw herself into Poppop's arms. Those hugs were priceless. Next Steve held the little one who could not hug him back . He took Henry from his mom and cradled this newest sacred trust.
I went with him to the church where he planned to make a copy of the text of his sermon. It was not there. It seemed to have vanished off of his computer. Instead of being upset by what didn't happen, he just took it in stride. Steve said he had gone over it a number of times and later he would make a few notes. The next morning he preached a very cohesive Christ centered sermon. No one would guess that the case of the missing manuscript was never solved.
Although a number of families had gone camping, we were still blessed with visitors. Our son Josh, his wife Karin and his boys, 3 year old Matthew and 1 1/2 year old Jacob were there. The moment the service ended Matthew made a bee line for Poppop and threw himself into his arms. What a precious thing to be welcomed back so warmly.. Steve's wife, his granddaughter Grace, and his grandson Matthew all joyously welcoming the returning husband and grandfather bring to mind the future joyous return of another loved one. I'll let you consider the connection and draw your own conclusions.
Thank you for all your prayers for Steve's work and his safety. Only part of the story is over. Pray for those who are pastors in Uganda as well as the ones who are still studying. Please pray for the men who will be teaching. Ask God to guide them as they set the standards for each class. Pray that all these men who are not being paid would find the time for their studies and their work. Pray that these men would look more to God's word for the principles they need to live their lives than to the often unbiblical standards set by their culture. Pray for all those who are ministering to these people and for those who will come that they will do so with humility, love, and wisdom.
Comments
Post a Comment