This is a photo of my husband (in the green shirt for those of you new to the blog) and his brother Dan. Rachel quickly snapped the shot on Friday night. Dan and Sharon are missionaries in Senegal, West Africa. That is where Tim and Dan grew up - their parents being missionaries there.
Dan was home for leadership meetings in Florida, and Sharon had been home to help their daughter Shelly with some health issues.
We were blessed to have spent time with Sharon while she was home, but Dan had been in Florida and then Missouri. They stopped by on Friday for about an hour. We were so glad for the time that we had.
They left yesterday to go back to Senegal. They love their work there and the Africans that they work and worship with. They love the missionaries who are co-laborers with them. But when they return to Senegal, they leave behind two of their four daughters.
These two live and work here. They must be separated from them, though these days they have Skype and can talk to them face to face, it is hard. Their other two daughters are in Senegal - one lives with them and is in high school, the other is a missionary herself and lives many hours and rough roads away from them. They will get to see her in April when the missionaries there get together for a field conference.
Tim, Lindsay and Emily are planning to be there, too. They will be making a special trip to Senegal in early April. For Tim to visit the place he grew up - they will get to spend the night in the village where his parents lived and where he grew up until he was 12. For the girls it is a chance to not only see where their Dad grew up, but it is a chance to travel, to meet missionaries, and to see a land that is a part of their family heritage. They have two uncles buried there - one as a infant and one as a ten year old boy - Tim and Dan's brothers David and Joey.
These losses, as well as their life in Senegal shaped the men that Dan and Tim have become. They are gifted with different strengths but both learned from their parents to put others first. They both have hearts to serve the Lord.
They are looking forward to the trip - they are in the process with their passports, and starting to think of what they need to take. It will be here before we know it.
We are praying for the elections that will take place in March - there is always some unrest, but their has been more this time due to the current president deciding to run again. We pray that this country, which has had great stability, can continue to be an example to other African countries in this way and that the unrest will settle down quickly after elections.
Dan and Sharon will be home by now. Back to their everyday lives there and missing their girls here very much, and their parents, siblings, nieces and nephews, and now even great nieces and nephews.
We pray for the Lord to bless them and encourage them.
6 comments:
So neat to see the brothers together!
We got to spend some time with Uncle Dan while he was here in FL. SO great to see him. We missed seeing Aunt Sharon though. I was so glad she came back for a visit with Shelly. Even though they are commited to their mision in Senegal they are still there for their girls. I've always admired that about them.
How good that you were able to have some time, however brief. Very exciting news that Tim and the girls will travel there and see some of the family history. Missionaries are not wimps that's for sure!
I love that they were able to have time together! I am especially happy for the technology we have today, so that families separated by oceans are able to chat and connect daily if they so choose.
Missionaries in the field make my heart happy. I am so thankful for their service and sacrifice.
Have a lovely week!
Jennifer
What a wonderful opportunity for your husband and daughters to be able to visit Senegal! I know that they must be getting quite excited! (How about you? Are you excited for them...or do have a bit of that mommy dread? Both?)
Oh, yes, your brother- and sister-in-law are making a sacrifice by being separated from their daughters. It is hard to be separated from our adult children...even when we know that we and they are in the places where the Lord wants us to be, we still have a longing to be together. There is a line of the old hymn "If We Never Meet Again This Side of Heaven" that has taken on new meaning to me as my son and his family live far away, and as we have lost loved ones in this past year. It says "...and where separations come no more..." and that thought is glorious!
Wow it's good that they can do that. I would love to but don't think I would have the courage to travel like that ... God bless them both..thank you for the visit to Mz Witherspoon's I'm in San Francisco have lived here all my life...wishing you a great day...with love Janice plz some by again,. enjoyed your comment.
Being missionaries is definitely a calling, forsaking friends and family to grow a great and better family and kingdom...Jesus'. I like to think that we are all missionaries. :)
xoxo
Caroline
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