May 24, 2004

Dear Family and Friends,

At 4:00 in the afternoon it is already noticeably cooler than an hour ago, when I sat outside to absorb the warmth of the sun, hoping the heat would soak into my bones and remain there as the night begins to fall. But already I’m getting chilled and pull on a jacket, acknowledging the lateness of the day. Fall is here and winter is near, but thank God for the sun that warms us during daylight hours.

A boy on a rock

My mind wanders, thinking of those in nearby communities who are also drawn to the sun’s heat as if storing it up for the cold nights ahead. And I remember the young boy I saw this week sitting on a rock, also basking in the sun. We came upon him quite unexpectedly while on our way to visit a young woman who our caregivers in the community were going to check on. It was clear this boy was not well. His eyes were dull and pained, our passing raising little response from him.

Gail, the nursing sister who trained the caregivers and comes weekly to make home visits with them, retraced her steps on the path back to his gate and made her way to him, the lot of us following. As I looked at him, the picture of the statue of the mermaid sitting on the rock in Copenhagen harbor quickly passed through my mind. What a bizarre comparison, I thought to myself! But the same sense of solitude, of separation, of aloneness is what struck me about him, as if waiting for something, but what?

As his granny came out of the house, she greeted us and filled us in a bit. Yes, he’s HIV+. His mother died several years ago of AIDS-related causes. The boy had just recently come out of the hospital after being treated for TB for the second time. But still his cough echoed a deep congestion. As he sat there saying nothing, a little whimper accompanied each breath as if naturally a part of it. He was 10 but looked 7 or 8. Had I put my fingers around his upper arm my thumb and forefinger would have easily met.

As we passed by on our way back he was gone. I wondered if he’d hidden, not wanting to be disturbed again. Now that we were gone maybe he’d return once again to his rock.

Celebration of life

Some exciting news for me is a trip home the end of June to join family and friends in celebration of my dad’s 90th birthday in Sacramento, California, in early July. Between Mom and Dad’s birthdays, their 64th anniversary, and a landmark birthday for my sister, all within a month of each other, we’ll have a lot to celebrate!

My parents are very special people and I am so very grateful for them. Their love, support and encouragement have been constants throughout my life. Without their unconditional and unwavering support of me and my call to mission, the struggle to leave them and my family to go to a distant country would have been nearly unbearable. But their belief and trust in God and in his plans for each of us—and knowing we’ll spend eternity together—is a gift that I could only understand through my own faith in Christ.

Seeing you again in 2005

My current term comes to an end in early 2005—already! In the coming months I’ll be writing more to tell you specifics of my time in the States for what is called a time of mission interpretation. I will be available to meet with groups and churches to share about my experiences and work involvements and to “interpret” these within the context of mission and the church. The specific dates are yet to be finalized, but it will be for a minimum of three months and most likely will be early in the year. I will let you know more specifically in the coming months, so for now just consider it fair warning!

Should you be interested in my visiting your church, please let me know as soon as you are able. The bad news about my visits is that the inviting church is responsible for covering my travel costs and for hosting me. Our interpretation assignment does not provide us with additional income and, once again, we remain dependent on the church!

My plan is to work within geographical areas that will allow for the sharing of expenses, but I don’t want you to be taken by surprise if this aspect is not something you were aware of.

For now, dear ones, may God bless you and keep you in his care.

With love,

Cindy

The 2004 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 61