43 days into 2021 and our home has dramatically changed again. More than once.
Chris and Kristin traveled to Cameroon January 4. Kristin is there to finish her senior year and Chris stayed for a month for work. On the 6th I had my first post chemo checkup and passed with flying colors. It was just Ben and me for a month. I was trying to plan some fun things for us to do – mother son bonding. A trip to Charlotte/JAARS was in the works for the time between semesters.
But, on the 9th I got a call from Noah. A call from a recruit during boot camp is never a good thing. Noah had a concussion during training. He was overwhelmed and they were sending him home. I panicked. How was he? What was really wrong. Was he really okay? I was so thankful they let him call on the 14th. He sounded much better, stronger, happier. He said it would be at least a week before he would come home and encouraged me to take our trip to Charlotte, so we did and got to see lots of friends. We came back on Tuesday and Noah came home Thursday the 21st.
Now it was me and my boys for 2 weeks! Noah was and is different. The time with the Marines changed him, mostly for the better. He was so helpful, got up early, worked hard, made plans. It was good. I made plans to take the boys skiing at Beach Mountain, TN with friends of ours. Unfortunately, by Tuesday evening the 26th I felt ‘off’. Wednesday, I had a tiny tickle in my throat. Thursday was when we were going to leave to go skiing by mid-afternoon – there was snow that morning in Lynchburg so in person school was cancelled and Ben finished up online. But I started feeling achy. Really achy. And then I had a fever. I got tested on Friday and the results showed positive Covid. Ugh. Noah then said that’s how he had felt! He had covid at boot camp (we assume) and shared it with me, and by Friday afternoon, we were pretty sure Ben had it too. We confirmed on Monday. But Noah’s test by then was negative, although he informed me he had lost smell and taste before he came home.
Chris flew back to the US February 4, but I wasn’t out of quarantine yet and still running fever. He took the train back and stayed in a friend’s basement apartment until I was finally fever free for 24 hours. Ben was well before I was, but finally Tuesday Feb 9 we were under the same roof. Today we are iced in and each working on our own thing. I messaged Kristin who is home quarantined after her school in Cameroon went online for at least two weeks because of Covid exposure there.
My heart is still longing for my true home. Not Cameroon or a childhood house, but heaven. My moto is still #choosejoy but that doesn’t mean it’s easy or that I’m happy all the time. It means that I recognize this temporary trouble and discomfort is just that, temporary. Heaven will be forever. And I can still trust the God who made me, who is with me, who is writing my story, to finish the work he has started. He doesn’t change ever. I am forever grateful that I know him, even knowing him just a little.
Noah is trying to figure out what’s next. Ben is well now and catching up on school. Chris is processing and working on things from his trip. Kristin is deciding on colleges. I’m still trying to recruit teachers to come teach in Cameroon, or any missionary kid school. We desperately need educators in all levels and subjects and guidance counselors and mental health counselors and librarians and… Well, you get the picture!
Please continue to pray for Cameroon, for teachers and the missionary kid schools, for the EthnoArts work Chris does, for peace, for my kids as they try to find their way. Pray for wisdom, and joy. Pray for my cancer to not come back and energy to serve well wherever I’m planted.
Thanks for reading.
