Worst Case Scenario

“We’re going home.”

Those were the first words out of Keith’s mouth when he called me on Tuesday at noon.

Friday morning we began walking on eggshells. Tuesday morning it was pins and needles.

Up until that morning, leaving, especially leaving abruptly, was the worst case scenario.

That is where we found ourselves on Tuesday at 12:00.

The worst case scenario.

Two hours later, I found out we were booked on the midnight flight out of Addis but could not communicate that information to ANYONE until our family was safely boarded on the plane.

I didn’t know how I was to pack. Were we leaving for good? If we were returning, how long would our house be empty? How many bags could I bring? How much time before we had to leave for the airport?

Where does one start packing up for a family of five? It took me months to pack for the move, weeding down to the bare essentials. I took so many non-essentials apparently because we brought home less than half of what we took over.

I let the kids pack themselves, partly because I didn’t have time to do it and partly because I needed them out of my hair so I could pack the rest. I only checked their rooms when I was ready to pack the final bag. As far as I could tell, they did the job. However, when Garrison’s backpack was flagged in Germany for scissors among his random craft supplies, I realized my mistake.

We left our home in tears. More tears than when we left the States. We left for our family’s safety. That’s the pertinent information I can communicate right now. We will let out more details as they are settled. We do plan to return to Ethiopia as soon as possible. We are still renting our house and are still integrally connected to the ministry of Mission Ethiopia. There’s much work Stateside that we are doing while here. We’re in Houston with Keith’s family and will be going to Dallas soon (where ME “headquarters” is located).

Pray for the leadership involved. Pray for the Ethiopian government and its legal system. Pray Ephesians 6:10-20 because, ultimately, our battle is not against flesh and blood.

Here are a few pictures of us at the airport. Proof the kids are okay...having the time of their lives. And that we are still hard at work.

As soon as the kids made it through the first security checkpoint in Addis, they made up a game within the square boundary I allotted them.

Sitting in the long line to check in. Just more play time for my kids.

Working on the other side of the table while we get dinner at the airport: Michael (with Mission ET stateside) and Ann Rae (our favorite housemate).

Mr. Sleepyhead Ivan curled up next to Keith in a booth in Frankfurt.