Early Christmas!

Christmas came early to us here in South Sudan! We received several packages from family and friends in the US on Tuesday. It was extremely exciting!! There are moments when the mission field can feel very lonely, and receiving treats and notes from home is very uplifting!

When Will and I opened each package, we “oohed and awed” over each item. We would often exclaim, “This is the best day ever!” or “We feel so loved!” (okay, maybe those statements were mainly me, but Will was super pumped as well :)).

Our church community in Bloomington had a going away party for us before we left in September. At this gathering, everyone wrote notes of encouragement to us. These letters found their way to us in the packages on Tuesday. It was such a joy to read through each note! We both felt uplifted, loved and cherished. We will re-read these notes often.

I was thinking when I woke up the next morning, how God used receiving packages to uplift my spirit. I was starting to trudge through each day and try to just “make it through” the heat, etc., but getting these goodies from home put a little more bounce in my step and joy in our hearts. I had been doing really well with meals, but at the beginning on this week, I started to run out of ideas of what to cook for lunches and what to grab for snacks. Receiving protein bars and snack items from home was perfect timing! I love how the Lord lines things up so well for His children!

I am so grateful for this huge encouragement this week. I smile every time I glance at our shelf full of treats and think about the generous hearts who have made us feel so loved this week. It was another reminder of how grateful we are for our support system in the States and how loved we feel by our community at home. Thank you to everyone who was a part of sending us packages this week (and to my family who sent a package a few weeks ago). We are deeply grateful and refreshed:).  Praise the Lord for this encouragement!