Thursday, November 27, 2014

Transitioning between worlds is always...interesting.  After 6 months in the US things started to feel normal, although hot showers and washers and dryers never got old.   Tonight i am sitting in a guesthouse in Tonga.  We have air conditioning (awesome!) and don't need to sleep with mosquito nets.  And the bathroom is inside along with running water. Still far enough away from the normal that will be life for the next 6 and half months.  We took a ride to our house today to assess the wear and tear from 6 months of island life.  There is a lot to fix.  Some water pipes need to be replaced, we need to find a water pump, new screens, new plastic roof , and a major part of our 3 wheeler was stolen. It was a little disheartening to return to have no water and bikes.  Tomorrow the work begins and hopefully by nightfall we will have water before we spend the night.  Please pray for us as simple repairs in Tonga are extremely difficult (especially since some of Chris's tools are gone) and expensive.  On the other hand we are very happy to see everyone again.  Many people didn't think we were coming back. We were welcomed immediately at the airport because most of the people had seen the Called to Tonga documentary and were excited to see us again.  The documentary is now playing on the documentary channel here in Tonga and has been played several times!  It makes me feel a little embarrassed!
         Knowing so many of you are praying for us and standing alongside us has given us strength and courage.  We are hopeful as we enter into this and curiously anticipating what God is doing.