Family Vacation

I promised myself honesty when I started this blog, and let’s be honest, missionary work is not simple. There are many struggles with day to day living that I don’t mention. Like how I spend more time in the morning filling bottles of filtered water for drinking than I do on the never ending pile of laundry. Or how I sometimes hand wash baby cloth diapers because we have not had electricity is so long that we are about to go naked. Or when it is too hot to cook that I serve a jar of peanut butter as lunch to my toddler.

That being said, our family needed a break. We needed time alone together in a different setting. So we took a vacation. We had planned one for later in the year, but based on other families and their needs and schooling schedules, we took one this past May.

This having been only our second vacation together as a family in the almost 9 years of marriage, we all agreed on one thing – tranquility. Vacation for us is a time of rest, together, as a family. It is a time to refresh and regroup, a time for connection, a time for prayer, and a time to meet often ignored needs. This vacation we chose a place that spoke English and was in the same time zone – England. We found a flat for rent with reliable electricity, and consistent high speed internet. For two weeks, we were together without any interruptions. We went for daily walks, we went to restaurants, we went shopping, we explored museums, we played in the public parks and enjoyed going barefoot in the grass without having to be concerned about what parasite we could pick up, we celebrated a birthday, we ate our weight in fresh berries and fish, we went to church, and we rested. We felt free and anonymous, no stares, not having to constantly keep our guard up to see who may be trying to target us because we stood out.

I cannot begin to describe to you how important a break in mission life is. I have heard of several missionary families who lost prayer and financial partners because they took a family vacation when it was expected for them to remain in their host country the entire term; or the families who were shunned for the decision to seek relief together; or even broken friendships from those who do not understand how human we all are sometimes.

Kevin and I have been very blessed to have so many of you who encourage us to take a break, who ask us how our marriage is faring, and those who want to make certain our children are doing well. So without further ado, here are a few photos of our time together:

Eager and ready for church!

Reliving our first sort-of date, 12.5 years later

 

First taste of hot chocolate

First moments in grass and enjoying them
(African grass is quite unforgiving and not a good option for bare feet)

Relishing nap time snuggles

Indulging on one our missed food items -
smoked salmon salad with Caesar dressing  

 

"Look mommy! Sean the Sheep!"

First time swinging

Sunday at Church

On our little girl's bucket list of things to do on vacation was to go to church. In Africa, there are not many children's programs for her age. She definitely misses the children's church back home. Ever since we touched down in London, she has asked if we were going to church. Today she got her wish!

Last night we spent forever googling churches with children's programs within our traveling zone. That proved a little more difficult but we located one.

This little gem was just what we needed this morning! It didn't have many members but the ones there were quite welcoming. They were quite excited to have baby boy and little girl as the only children in their children's program and there was a crowd of ladies who personally escorted them. The kids did not hesitate!

After church we were made to feel welcome with tea and biscuits and great conversations. There was a man from Angola, a gentleman who was arranging mission trips for Uganda, another man who grew up in Zaire (Congo-Kinshasa) with parents who were missionaries and even a woman who had flown with MAF to Kisangani (DRC) from Kinshasa about 25 years ago!

We were certainly welcomed and sweet pea enjoyed being the center of attention. It was so refreshing to meet so many connections to missions in one place. It certainly felt like God chose this particular church for us this morning!

Sweet Pea at the Natural History Museum

On my (Tasha's) bucket list for our vacation was to visit a museum. This morning we woke up to chilly and wet weather, which made for a perfect day at the museum. We put baby brother in the backpack carrier and sister in the stroller and headed out. Sister was immediately enraptured with everything! She was squealing and saying "WOW" and shouting "LOOK!" It was a great feeling to see how excited our little girl was when looking at bones and stuffed animals (taxidermy).

One of the things that sister requested upon entrance was to take over the photography. I figured it would be a nice break for me. Without further ado, here is the Natural History Museum as see in the eyes of our little girl.

Our first specimen is a cast of a fossil of a Plesiosaur that was mounted and displayed on the wall.

The museum hosts a lovely display of turtles. There are many different species in various ages of their lives including bones. The eggs and nests were amazing as well. Here is a photo of a sea turtle that was on display for people to touch.

A recent addition to the ecology exhibit included a crustacean display. Sister enjoyed exploring the many different types of ocean life, especially those that are edible!

After this section, Sister wanted to take a moment to photograph her family members.

Mama

Baby Brother

One of the most popular exhibits is the Diplodocus on display in the heart of the museum. This fossil was presented to the museum in 1905 and was moved in 1979 to Hintze Hall. In the 1990's a new scientific study found that the tail never dragged the ground but was held up higher. So the museum spent lots of time to dismantle and recast the tail. 

The mammal section housed amazing displays of beasts of all walks of life. The polar bear was a sight!

The lion was so very lifelike.

One of the largest sections is the exhibit of elephants. The museum boasts a large display of elephants including both African and Asian. The ones on display were placed in the museum back in the early 1900's and have been in the collection ever since.

And there you have it! A brief tour of the museum with your guide Adah!

Days 3 - 5 on the Road...VACATION!!!

Since we had only one chance to do it - we took a mini-vacation!!! Days 3 - 5 were spent "touring" Washington, D.C. with our little girl! So, here are pictures of our "restful" time!

Daddy and daughter ready for adventure

RAWR!

For once, we are on the other side of the FAA!

Showing daddy who is boss around here!

Ancient artifact I found in the tunnels of the underground metro. 

Baby being adorable! So close to giggling!

This is called a Redneck wallaby - for you folks back in Tennessee!

Giant baby attacks monument!

Native American's played hockey!

Healthy street vendor food (insert sarcasm) 

Cuppy and her cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes

Exhaustion comes from only 3 hours of touring a day with a baby!

Day 6 on the road...to be continued.