Family fun
Since I’ve been back in the USA, hanging out with family (specifically nieces and nephew!) has been top priority!
A favorite Aunt activity :)
The McRattins at our family reunion in September
We love watermelon!
Hallways and a faithful God
Once while walking through the dark downstairs of Les Tourades, sleepily confident of my path in the familiar hallway, I reached for the door handle too enthusiastically. The door wasn’t where I thought it was and it smacked me squarely…in the forehead. Not sure whether to laugh aloud or pout, I readjusted my blind path and walked with more caution.
One day into re-entry in the USA, ‘real life’ smacked me in the forehead.
After meaningful goodbyes to A Rocha friends, a lovely last hurrah with my dear co-worker Sarah in Italy, and smooth international connections, I landed happily in Philadelphia.
The next day, I landed in the emergency room with an ugly gash in my left leg, thanks to teamwork between a slippery path and a jagged rock. Eight stitches later, I remembered that, “a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” (Prov. 16:9)
In transition between France and a new life in the US, I am in a hallway between two seasons. I plan, research, make pro-con charts, but God determines my steps.
I’m grateful closing doors, and for the lessons and love I carry from A Rocha to my next adventure. I’m thankful, too, for the overflowing joy of long-delayed reunions with those I love in the US. As I apply myself to ‘real life’ in the USA, and let my leg heal, I still may smack my forehead and do other ungraceful things. But He still is faithful.
A time for everything
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot…
He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Ecclesiastics 3:1-2, 11
Miranda Harris once showed me this poem, scrawled in the front cover of her Bible:
Willingly transplanted,
I still suffered the shock of new soil.
But I have discovered that
Rooted in Christ
I can grow in any place
This poem put into words the hearts of Peter and Miranda’s move from the first A Rocha site in Portugal to new and uncharted territory in southern France in 1997. After a year of transplant shock, recovery, and, now, re-planting, I find no better words explain my heart.
However willing the change, the shock of new soil is often very real. The process of transplanting to a new place and new job was hard last fall. Through the faithful friendship of my A Rocha coworkers, prayer, and a healing visit back home, I found my place in the A Rocha France community. My roots grew deeper as I thrived in my new season of life, and transition gave way to joy in meaningful relationships and work.
Now, a new season is on the horizon. Once again, I willingly uproot and transplant, this time to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I am happy to have a place to live and to be in the same time-zone as friends and family. The job search continues, and the season is young. But the past year with A Rocha has taught me that “rooted in Christ, I can grow in any place.”
Ice blog…
My coworker, Sarah, has a sister who lives in the Yukon. And who is fascinated by art.
I’m featured in this fantastic Ice Blog: http://icecubicle.net/
So is Sarah! and she and I are currently staying with Carolyn Hanbury in Italy, who owns the first freezer highlighted…
And now…
The past year has flown by. I’ve learned how to drive a manual, how to cut French cheese correctly, how to organize receipts, how to plan travel (however stressful it may be), and how to live in community. I haven’t ‘arrived’—the lessons of this year with A Rocha as Peter’s assistant will be built upon for the rest of my life.
August 11, I fly home to Pennsylvania. Talk about mixed emotions. I am so sad to leave this place, these people, this meaningful work. But I am confident that returning to the USA to put down roots is God’s next step for me. I will be living with my best friend in the fall, looking for jobs and exploring graduate school. I will remain close with A Rocha and continue in conservation ministry, if possible. I can’t wait to be cool Aunt Manda to sisters’ kids and to be present in the lives of those dearest to me.
As always, I am eager for your prayers and your advice or ideas. I’m seeking God’s next step for me and know that I am buoyed up by your prayer.
