Five Fun Things about Furlough

We just passed the halfway point of our two-month break from Mexico here in the United States. So far, our furlough has been just great. Here are a few of the things we've been enjoying on this side of the border...

1. Time to Recharge
We left Mexico feeling tired. Tired of the stresses that come with living in a foreign country. Tired of the challenges we faced there. Now, however, that we have been away for awhile, we're starting to feel refreshed and ready to jump back into things.

2. Family Time
Since Mike is not in Mexico, where he works long days, and I'm taking a maternity leave from most of my writing work, we've been able to spend time together as a family. It's been wonderful. We even took the girls to the Mall of America in the Twin Cities (Trinity rode on the carousel there and then exclaimed, "This is fun!").

3. Fellowship with congregations and schools.
We've visited various churches and schools during our break. We've had the chance to talk to many fellow WELS members. We share stories about Mexico with them, and get updates on the ministry going on here. It's hard to put into words just how encouraging these visits are for us, but trust me, it's one of the best parts about furlough.

4. Worship Services in English
In Mexico, we have a weekly English Bible Study at our house for workers on the field. But our Sunday worship services are all done in Spanish. So it's a special treat to sing our favorite hymns in English and listen to sermons preached in our native language.

5. Food
Ah, so much tasty food. From potlucks to corned beef to rich desserts, we've been enjoying some of our favorite U.S. foods. We're filling up now, because soon we'll be heading back south. By then we'll probably be craving tortillas and salsa all over again!