Our organization flew us to Orlando (and back) to attend a very important debriefing time. It was a time for them to "love on us" and thank us in a very real and tangible way for our time served overseas. It was also very convenient to be there at the headquarters so that we could meet face to face with people we needed to see about issues we needed to work out- retirement, health insurance, etc.
I have to admit that I felt REALLY guilty at first for going. You see, we signed up for the debrief before we knew what our long term plans were going to be. In a way, I felt like I was somewhere that I wasn't supposed to be....eating free food and taking advantage of free childcare when we were going to resign. But, I was able to share this with some of the staff on day one and they all set my mind at ease. I love them all so much and appreciate the time and energy they put into making me and everyone else feel safe and loved.
After I was able to get past myself, I was able to focus on how God had been with us every step of this journey. We were able to testify to all that God has been doing in PNG and we were able to share what was hard and what we struggled with in a setting where most everyone just "got it". I thank God for this time and I will forever remember how this organization was there for us and supported us.
I am also eager to be a part of this organization's Intercultural Communications Course this July/August....so even though I will be serving as a "volunteer", I still feel like I am a part of this organization's family....and I look forward to seeing how our paths cross again in the future!
Here are some pictures of our time...in the pictures where you see us speaking, we are sharing about our experience and receiving the support that we need in a very safe environment.
But, it wasn't all debriefing...there was a lot of "play" and "down time", too. And, the play and down time included childcare....genius! Ben and Mel were being looked after by such a wonderful and capable team of volunteers. Ben NEEDED this time. He was ready for structure....and we were blessed by the love and service of this staff.
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