Wow, it has been a whirlwind!!! We have been back in the states for a month now and we are starting to get our feet under us and settle into a mission house in Boiling Springs, South Carolina (Spartanburg/Greenville area). We were very blessed to spend a few weeks with family in Ohio. It was so fun to reunite the cousins and meet our three new nephew/nieces that my sister, Rebekah, and her husband, James adopted this past December and of course our kids had much needed time with grandparents. The time went quickly, but we were so thankful to finally see everyone and give lots of hugs!
We had a great group of friends who made us feel very welcome when we got back to Spartanburg. They had stocked our pantry, fridge & freezer with all the necessities (and then some), left gifts on everyone's beds, put up a welcome back banner, registered the girls in school and bought the kid's school supplies. What a HUGE blessing!!!!!! We could not have been ready for school or transitioned very well without all their help-- thank you again to all who were a part of that!
We definitely have experienced a good bit of reverse culture shock as we adjust back to life here in the states. Many things have changed in 2 & a half years and sometimes I (Ruth) miss the simpler life of Madagascar. We are also adjusting to the faster pace of life here and trying to figure out how we can slow things down a bit so that we can have time to process our time in Madagascar and what God has for us right now.
God has blessed us with two nice used vehicles to accommodate our family's needs. Andy is in the process of looking for a job at a local physician's office. We have had a lot of decisions to make and quite a few more important ones in the near future. Andy's allergies are only marginally better here, but he will be seeing an allergist a week from now. Hopefully, we will have a better idea of his treatment and how long it will last after this appointment. We have health concerns with our parents as well that weigh heavy on our hearts at this time.
All the kids have started school and are doing well. Eli started 2nd grade at Anderson Mill Road Elementary School which is a great public school here in this area. After his first day of school, he told his daddy that his favorite part of school was everything! Zoey started Kindergarten at our church which has a great program and she has a wonderful teacher as well. She loves school and being with her buddy, Bailey (a friend that she has caught up with very quickly) and she already has some boys who like her (how can this happen?-- she is only 5 years old!). Alleluia started 2K three days a week at our church's preschool. Though she had a bit of a rough start getting used to being dropped off, she now loves it and especially loves her teacher Ms. Ra Ra (Paula).
Our favorite part of moving back here is of course seeing our family (in Ohio) & catching up with church family and all our friends here in Spartanburg. Please if you see us at church or around town say hello, we love seeing familiar faces everywhere. You may not know what to say, but we aren't always sure where to start either, but we are always glad to see faces we know!!
Thanks again for your faithfulness to pray for our family!
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