2 years in Zim

2 years ago today we arrived in Harare - full of excitement and anticipation. It's our 2 year anniversary in Zimbabwe. Some of you are thinking, "the time has flown by!" but to be honest, it hasn't for us. I still sometimes feel that we're in a giant game of "survivor" and yet life has become normal in Zimbabwe... We no longer react when the power goes off (although I still get anxious when it's for more than 12 hours). We're used to being the only white people in a huge crowd and to only understanding a third of what is going on. We're used to LONG Salvation Army services (although, I confess that after 3 hours yesterday I went home for a nap... it's my "condition") and we're sort of used to THQ and Salvation Army politics (The Salvation Army has been our biggest culture shock for sure). We're used to the morning combi rides that are mixed with reports of who died the night before and jokes about family antics - that familiar combination of Zimbabwean sorrow and joy that is daily life. We're used to food shortages - eating what we can find and not eating what is not available. We're used to being billionaires, living with hyperinflation and the prices of goods and services going up almost every single day. I'm used to nightmares and occasionally waking up crying because I've had a dream about my family, but it wasn't quite enough time to spend with them. We're used to uncertainty and the inability to plan in advance. We're used to clapping and greeting people all day. We're used to seeing miracles. We're used to giving and receiving and sharing life. We're used to relying on God for everything - daily food, health, safety on the roads, etc.

God is so good. I am thankful for these 2 years - for the many lessons learned (endurance, faith, survival, patience, joy, politics, human nature...); for the way my thinking has been challenged; for the way my heart has been stretched; for the tears I've shed and the laughter I've shared; for my Zimbabwean family and friends; for a chance to be involved in work that is meaningful (HIV/AIDS and youth leadership); for our little house; for the way John and I have become even closer and the way we are growing our family; for the way we have been supported and prayed for; for grace. Zimbabwe will always be part of us.

P.S. Happy Birthday to my beautiful, fun, passionate, compassionate, crazy and wild sister Kirsten. We love you! xo