A Year Later

One year ago today I was in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Our day started out completely normal. My team went to the port to evangelize to truck drivers. We came home, ate a late lunch, and then tried to stay out of the heat as much as possible. My teammate April and I were in our room laying under the ceiling fan, when another teammate came into the room and told us to check our email. 

We both opened an email from our squad mentor, and were greeted with the words: “As soon as we can coordinate transportation, you will be leaving the field and returning to the U.S.” 

My first emotion was shock.  My squad had been in Africa since January, pretty much the entire time that Covid had been spreading around the world.  Up until that point, covid had had no affect on our lives. We had vaguely discussed the idea that we might stay in Africa longer, instead of going to Asia the following month as planned. The notion of going home instead, had not even entered my mind. 

In one moment, everything that I knew about my life was turned upside down and I had no plans whatsoever for the future. 

Less than 24 hours after reading that email, my squad was on an 11 hour direct flight to New York City. There were a lot of empty seats on that flight, and we all rotated sitting with each other and crying together. 

Unless you have gone through it, it is hard to understand what it felt like to be pulled so abruptly from a lifestyle that is vastly different from what you knew back home to an environment that is familiar, yet suddenly so strange. It is hard to be ripped apart from a community you had come to call family.  It is hard to give up the expectations you had formed about the next several months.  It is hard to have no plans beyond the next few days. 

At the end of that email I received a year ago, my squad mentor prayed, “Remind us, Lord, how You are ALWAYS good. And your gospel never changes because of our circumstances.” 

A year later, I can say with full confidence that I know that prayer to be true. Despite our grief, confusion, frustration, anger, and hurt He is still good. Despite how we wrestle and question, His love still prevails. Lord, let us never forget your unfailing goodness.