Flight one of three home is complete and we are currently in Johannesburg airport. We are en route to London, then Chicago and then the long days of travel will be over. We started out our day with a great breakfast at a local restaurant in Livingstone. The restaurant was very homey, and the people were very kind. At the restaurant we had a final debrief with a few staff members from Poetice. We talked about what it looks like to come home, and how our lives have been changed. We also talked about how to make this change become our new constant in our lives at home. Throughout the week we were reminded that our relationship with God can have a lot of hills and valleys, but we were also encouraged to solidify the “hills”. This means that with perseverance we will continuously be able to live our lives closer to Jesus. We are very thankful for everything Poetice has taught us and how much we were able to experience Jesus together.
Today we were also able to take a trip to the Livingstone market. This was an overwhelming but very exciting experience. The shops contained handmade jewelry, trinkets, paintings, clothing, and other unique items. It was nice to be able to buy some items for friends and family back home, and then headed to the airport. With the last few hugs goodbye, we began our journey home. We are all feeling a wide variety of emotions. We are ready for the new future in store for us back at Hope, but not ready to leave our new friends and family in Choma. We are so blessed to have formed such great relationships that make saying goodbye so tough. But we are so excited to share our experiences with others at home and tell them about the amazing ways that Poetice is impacting the communities around them.
We want to end our post with a Haiku from one of our very own team members*:
Bittersweet leaving
Excited to share God’s love
Thank you Poetice
~~Addy and Alaina
*Haiku by Brant Kym