Fragility has continued throughout this week, a mixture of fearing the beginning of this new term and concern about some issues with my kids. I miss my friends at home, I miss a context where I belong without trying. Last night at Quinn’s party, as team who has been here forever rehashed stories about old team mates, I cried a few quiet tears of frustration at not fitting in ANYWEHRE, not even with team. The enemy, getting me down.

We had a mail call when team left, though. Pat, just came from Kampala had brought two boxes. Both were amazing. One, from Davids parents, contained playmobile for Naomi the answer to her tearful prayers earlier that day as she had felt so left out by all the attention focused on Quinn. I know I should know Him by now, but He still constantly amazes me by His timing and His tender heart. Naomi was overjoyed – you picked well Mim!! And spent the rest of the evening playing hard with her new toys and pouring through the catalogues she had requested to be sent.

The next box was from Mariners Church and I cried (yes, again) as a huge pile of note cards fell out. The customs forms read; 70 personal notes. Seventy of our friends from Mariners church wrote us personal encouragement notes for our 2nd anniversary on the field. Is there any way to describe how it feels to have a church family like this? Or a God who can bring those letters in a week when I so badly need those words of hope, faith and love? Mail from heaven, it feels. The first card on the stack containing pictures of a deliciously chubby baby that I cannot wait to meet. God knows that my love language is words; that nothing could be as uplifting as the words of so many, expressing His love to me. Thank you, God and all of our friends at Mariners.