(Not so) Alone In Missions

These past two weeks, I’ve taken on the responsibility of figuring out a lot of logistical things about getting to Sudan, all things we sort of thought would be taken care of before we got here. It’s been super stressful (but at the same time a joy—I really enjoy organizing/administration) and at times, I’ve gotten really frustrated with AIM. But the last few days I’ve been reminded why God brought me to AIM and just how great a fit it is for me.

We stayed at Mayfield, the AIM guesthouse, while we were in Nairobi, which is an awesome place because there are missionaries from all over Africa constantly coming through it. We were fortunate enough to meet a guy who built the original mission station. He told us all sorts of great stories about the Lopit people and his time there. We also hung out with the international director of AIM, Lanny Arensen, and his wife, Carla. Before missionaries were forced out the last time (over a dozen years ago, I think) Lanny and his first wife, Janice, actually lived in the mission house the first guy built—the same house my team leaders are living in now. And, we caught the Probsts heading back home. They work with TIMO and were just up at our place not long ago, working on our houses in the hills. And, we met a really awesome couple who served on a TIMO team in Lesotho. They’re back now, serving in Tanzania, but had a ton of great TIMO stories and were just super encouraging and helpful.

(I’m so eager to actually on the field.)

All this to say… AIM, though you sometimes feel it’s Alone In Missions, is a really tight-knit family of people who love Africa, some of whom who are second- and even third-generation missionaries.

Lanny and Carla are actually here in Machakos now, talking with us about dealing with stress and grief. Lanny actually lost his first wife, Janice, in am ambush while they were traveling from their mission station into town. (I won’t say where, because my mom reads this thing. And it was a very long time ago with a very different atmosphere.) But to sit here and eat lunch with the guy and hear him talk about Janice, it makes him a very real person. And I think that’s really awesome, knowing the international director in that way.

I really need that.