An Unexpected Turn

Friends, this is a hard post to write. As we’ve shared stories and photos and videos through the last year, I think it’s been clear that we love being in Kenya. We’ve worked to make this place home, and it truly is. We love our friends, colleagues, and neighbors here and can see ourselves living in East Africa long into the future. However, as we’ve learned many times in our lives, Pete and I understand we have to stay open what God is doing and the next step He has for us. An excerpt from the message we sent out to our Kenya email group earlier today explains where we currently find ourselves…

As we’ve approached the end of this first year in Kenya, we’ve been closely observing both Ella and Sam to determine their growth since we arrived here. Ella has flourished and couldn’t be happier with her new friends and school setting. However, we noticed Sam has not grown in the same ways. He is very happy but has not made the progress we had hoped, particularly in the area of speech development. We’ve tried apps and flashcards and worked with a speech pathologist over Skype. Sam has grown increasingly frustrated with his inability to express himself with words, which has been challenging for us all. Three weeks ago, Sam’s speech pathologist made a visit to Tenwek and was able to evaluate him in person. It was at this time our worries were confirmed. Sam is certainly behind in speech, and there are not services in Kenya to help. We feel we’re at the end of what we can offer him and we can’t miss this window of development, as it could effect his life-long ability to communicate. Because of this, we have decided to return to Duluth this summer to resume Sam’s in-depth speech therapy for the next two to three years.

This was an incredibly difficult decision to make. We are so thankful for our team and leaders here in Kenya and at World Gospel Mission in Indiana. They have prayed for us and led us well, sending words of encouragement and scripture. We’re at a point now where we can talk about it without immediately needing to fight back tears, though the tears are still close to the surface. We have full confidence that we’re doing what is best for Sam and his future. This is merely a “pause” from our time in Africa so he can have what he needs to reach his full potential. Two or three years in the span of a lifetime of all that God has for Sam? So worth it.

So here’s the plan. Our dear friends, Luke and Hannah, are coming to visit later this week. It’s a trip we’ve all been planning for months and months. The timing is perfect. We’ll get to show them around and introduce them to life here at Tenwek. Then, the first week of July, we’ll finish packing and fly back to Minnesota. We know we’ll be back to Kenya, so nearly everything will stay here for our return.

We’ll be back in Minnesota for just a week in July before driving to WGM Headquarters in Indiana. At HQ, we’ll all participate in Renewal, a debrief program for families coming off the field. We have multiple Tenwek friends who will be there at the same time, which we think will help the kids in this transition. The following week, Pete and I will have more meetings at HQ, Sam will be part of a kids’ program, and Ella will attend Missionary Kids Camp at a nearby campground with a bunch of the missionary kids currently in the States.

During our meetings, Pete and I will have a chance to talk with our WGM leaders to plan what the next couple years in Minnesota will look like for us. We want to continue to work as WGM missionaries, and there are lots of ways that can work. Will you please pray with us to be able to discern what God has for us? We’ve learned from years of experience that we can always trust God to show us the next step when we ask. Not necessarily the big picture, but just the next step. And that’s all we need for now.

So that’s the news. It feels big. It’s not what we were planning. It’s not what we would have chosen. But it’s what Sam needs and we’ve already seen God opening doors in front of us as we make this transition. We’ll keep you posted on updates as we travel, here and on Instagram. We love you guys and are so thankful to have you on this journey alongside us!