May is a big month for Myhres, and many of those milestones happened in Virginia. As our 31rst anniversary approaches, we have landed in Charlottesville ahead of Luke's graduation from med school and Julia's from college, and Caleb's return (we pray) at the end of the month from his deployment. One day we were in Naivasha, knee deep in the struggle to resuscitate babies and protect moms. Suddenly the next day we are here in the full Spring of blooming dogwood and azaleas, waking in the early morning to hear birds from our childhood. Robins, cardinals, blue jays, red-winged blackbirds and scarlet tanagers. Hot days and blue-ridge sunsets.
After months and years of distance (Luke left home for boarding school ten years ago at age 15), we revel in the rare privilege of a few days to run errands, pack up a house, talk, cook together, ride bikes, make coffee. In fact it may be the most undivided parental attention he's had since Caleb was born. After a year of a difficult surgery and recovery, the stress of the match, the culmination of a challenging medical school stretch . . . we are just delighting in this young man.
After months and years of distance (Luke left home for boarding school ten years ago at age 15), we revel in the rare privilege of a few days to run errands, pack up a house, talk, cook together, ride bikes, make coffee. In fact it may be the most undivided parental attention he's had since Caleb was born. After a year of a difficult surgery and recovery, the stress of the match, the culmination of a challenging medical school stretch . . . we are just delighting in this young man.
Biking to Monticello
Bike repairs at the Community Bike Shop
Sunset at the Vineyards
Meeting friends at Lampo's, Luke's favorite C'ville restaurant
Morning coffee in the yard
Blue Ridge Sunset
Tomorrow our 3 days in C'ville come to an end, and we head up to Vienna, VA. We will speak at Sunday School at 10:15 am Sunday at Grace OPC (2381 Cedar Lane), the church in which I was raised and where we are all members, the church that has been disproportionately generous in supporting us for all these years. Our talk , "Walking through the Rift Valley: Dark Days and a Billion Reasons to Hope" will share about our work with Serge as Area Directors and as doctors in Naivasha, Kenya. All are welcome!
The next two weeks will be immersed in celebrating the two graduations with both our moms and my sister too, moving people from Charlottesville and Durham to West Virginia and back several times, helping both Luke and Julia pack up and move on to their next phases of life. In June we will drive all the way across the country, moving Luke into his newly rented studio apartment in Salt Lake City then welcoming Caleb back from Central Asia, visiting his home in Alaska, and returning to West Virginia in time for our Aylestock family reunion before we return to Kenya in early July.
Nothing matches the bright green of the Virginia spring, the return to a place full of memories and meaning for us. We are grateful for this time.
5 comments:
So happy you are here and can enjoy such wonderful celebrations. Soak in all that green!! ♡ Congratulations to all of the graduates!
So happy you’re there! And praying I get to texas for our college graduation on May 10. Currently, I’m at a police station on border of Rwanda and Congo, trying to reason with well meaning police who have jailed two of our friends over a big misunderstanding at the border. They are 100 percent innocent. Please pray for truth to win.
Hello!
I have loved reading your blog. I had to comment today as I fully resonate with VA in the spring. I attended PA school in Winchester. I have been a member in the OPC in Mpls for 9yrs, since marrying my husband although I was raised at Bethlehem Baptist, where I was on the ST Mission Committee. I have travelled to Uganda to take part in a 2 week clinic and Kenya to help with rainwater collection systems. My closest friend and her family moved to Uganda with EMI last year and are in Kampala. My husband is from Ivory Coast and we love visiting our Ivorian family. I order your book series for our kids and can't wait to get started.
Thank you for this blog! Thank you for sharing your heart in a real way with us. Thank you for your tireless work for the Kingdom of God in Africa. I love that you are free to share your cross-cultural frustrations even after 20+ yrs in Africa. Thanks to God for this sweet break as your children make these huge transitions.
Please come visit us. Our AirBnB is your home. No charge of course
@Annette-thanks so much! We're really focusing on the family most of these few weeks, but appreciate the offer.
@Sarah-nice to hear from you and thanks for reading.
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