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Christopher & Chloe Verdick | missionaires in Karamoja

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reflections  /  October 8, 2013

The Exchange

by Chloe

The following is an attempt to express some of the whirling thoughts on “re-entry”.

The road behind, a streak in the sky 14 months long
The road before, a swirling dream of the known made surreal
Punctuated with a question mark
An exchange has begun, life for life
Muddy, flat paths for dry hilly asphalt roads
Bread rising for bread bought
Friends gained through shared purpose and intense proximity
For friends tested through the crucible of time
Everyday a stranger to language and culture,
For instinctual fluency and a confused inheritance of mores
Transportation by foot for being bound to a car
Family from too far and never enough for every waking hour
The cacophony of insects as midnight music for the hum of appliances
Building thunderclouds as the skyscape for a line of landing planes
Perpetual open-door policy for a shyness at imposing our presence
Nearness to frequent death for nearness to new life

Where does exchange end and identity begin?
In the bond and beauty of marriage
In the screaming truth that this earth is not our home
No matter how many places we leave pieces of our hearts
In Christ, who enlivens this time with the hope of seeing His face
And being changed by it

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3 comments

  • The Mum
    October 28, 2013

    Seeing you every day made me forget to look at your blog:(

    Seeing the contrasts from the other side help me to understand the life you love so far away.

    I am thanking God for your present “exchange.”

  • Jenny Knox
    October 12, 2013

    Amen. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 Keep your eyes on Jesus!!

  • David Nakhla
    October 9, 2013

    Wow, Chloe, you paint a great contrast! I can picture all those things…
    May you rest in the promise of Jeremiah 29:11.

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