Re-entry: Moving Back to Your Passport Country

One question we have heard a lot recently is: "How is the transition going?" So here are my thoughts on how it is going. Not really a good answer, but my thoughts on transition and re-entry anyway.

We wrote about here how we have decided that for this season the Lord has us back in the USA leading the church planting efforts in the US with New Life Network. This means us re-entering the culture in which we lived for so many years and yet so much has changed over the last 11 years since we have been in Guatemala.

I (Ben) have been taking a lot of time to ponder, reflect and work through this re-entry process. I am using a transition coach to help me work through some of the challenges related to this. It is a hard process to talk about or express especially to those who have never lived abroad and "re-entered". It is even different for each member of our family and probably has been most challenging for me. 

There are feelings of grief, confusion and excitement all at the same time sometimes. It is a weird feeling for the country you grew up to not feel like home. Indeed, there has not really been a "home" since we moved to Guatemala and not sure there ever will be again, but maybe that is the way we are all to feel as followers of Jesus since we are citizens of heaven. 

One book I was recently reviewing was comparing re-entry of  spacecrafts to that of missionaries re-entering there countries of birth. It is more dangerous for spacecrafts to re-enter then it is "to be orbiting 135 miles above earth at 118,00 miles per hour." This is often the case for missionaries. The entering into mission field and re-entering into passport country is most difficult. This might be a little overstated, but it definetly is challenging.

I write all this so you can be praying as we continue to "re-enter". There are lots of uncertains, decisions to be made, funds to be raised etc. In one sense, we are moving from one field to another as we will continue to minister in a culture that is not our own while living in a culture that is at least somewhat our own. That does not even seem correct as I write it because so much has changed in the last 11 years.

Thanks for praying and supporting us in this time of transition!

Trip to Virginia Nov 2023

 We were able to take a little trip out east to see friends, share about the work the Lord has us doing and have a little family fun. It was a pretty long trip but the kids did well. We are grateful to everyone who hosted us, fed us, took us out to eat, gave us hugs and loved on our kids. A special big thanks to Tom and Cindy Denome who spoiled us again when we stayed with them. Anyone who can host 8 people is amazing but they not only host but spoil us with special food and times together and bend over backwards to bless us. They are family and we are forever grateful. 

This was a fun gathering with a bunch of people who came down on teams from Virginia to Guatemala over the years. It was fun to catch up with everyone.

They girls had fun painting with Miss Kim.

Snuggle time

This was on the way we stayed at a hotel to break up trip thanks to Tom giving us hotel points to use.

Emma got tired while daddy was talking at church ;-) We shared at a church called Warehouse Church which meets at a missions organization.

There is a park always nearby. Weather was great while we were there.

Kim even taught Emma

Miss Cindy made all the kids custom t-shirts and of course the girls picked unicorns.

We got to celebrate Tom's bday a little early.

Kids adopted grandparents. 

The girls love the dogs. Daddy not so much ;-)

It was great to be united with Kim and Glen after almost 4 years! 

Family!