04.13.07
The Rest & Relaxation of Furlough
So we’re in America on “furlough.” Furlough is kind of a strange word that doesn’t mean much to people I think. No one is really sure what exactly it is, probably because we’ve only heard of missionaries taking one. Many missionaries use other names for it like “home service.”
Furlough sounds like a big vacation, which I am learning it is not. While it has been wonderful visiting with so many people who have lots of encouraging things to say about the work in Ancona, at the same time it has been very difficult to be away from our home in Italy and the work there. We sort of feel like we have a foot in each culture, not exactly comfortable in either one. It’s hard to live out of suitcases. Traveling takes its toll on a family with small children. Just the number of people and churches that we want to see is enough to make our heads spin!
I feel ungrateful as I go back and reread what I have written. So many people have sacrificed to give us a great home in Rockford while we are here. People have thrown open their arms to welcome us wherever we have gone. It’s been a huge blessing to see the kids reconnect with Grandmas and Grandpas, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Furlough is an interesting beast. It certainly isn’t a vacation. But it’s not the day-to-day life of ministry in Italy. One of these days I’m going to come up with a really good name for it.