Homecoming

Yesterday we braved the long road home, through driving rain with seeps right into our leaky car, over teeth-rattling ruts and twisting switch-backs. The last couple of hours Jack road out on top of the load of trunks in the back, waving and giving a thumbs-up sign to anyone who looked his way, so as his gesture was returned we had the pleasant sensation of hundreds of people smiling and welcoming us back. It was a joyful journey, escorting team mates home. John and Loren Clark, with their son Bryan, have arrived to live and labor with us for the next two years. We've been eager for their help in nutrition and community outreach and nursing . . but so far the fun surprise has been what a precociously articulate, infectiously friendly, and incredibly cute two-year-old Bryan is! They traveled from the US with Heidi, who is returning from a month of HMA, from being in a friend's wedding and visiting her family and church. And their return coincided with the end of Luke's second term at RVA, so he flew into Entebbe on his own this weekend, at least an inch taller, hungry, and full of stories. Last night Ashley and Sarah prepared dinner for our now-expansive team, a real homecoming.