The "What is Furlough Like?" Question

We get a lot of questions about furlough. What do you do? What is it like? Do you get any rest? Has it been fun? How are the kids adjusting? etc.

While there are no short answers to these questions, I can at least try to give you a glimpse into how our life has been since we got back in July. Here is how we've been spending our time.

1. Work - Dusty goes to the office at the church during the weekdays and works on linguistics, survey reports, getting acquainted with our work in Uganda, and finishing some work from Tanzania. I've been tackling our website issues which have made me enter a maddening cyber-chase.

2. Logistics - This includes trying to get our container full of our household items from Musoma to Entebbe (it's there now!), renewing passports and getting them to Uganda for visas (they're there, but now we need them back), submitting foreign medical receipts for insurance and then dickering over them with the insurance company.

3. PD (Partnership Development) - We're having several open-house events, giving presentations to multiple groups from 6 churches, meeting with supporters, and updating our address lists. How can this be so fun and so tiring at the same time?

4. Kids' education - Some time is spent taking care of the kids' schooling while they are here: Tessa is in public school 1st grade while Jack goes to a church preschool two mornings a week. Soon I will be wading the murky waters of home schooling curriculum and trying to figure out how to get it to Uganda in January. Anyone going to Uganda soon with luggage to spare?

5. Medical - All of us are in need of check-ups, shots, and some physical updates. Cooper had 4 shots this morning actually. These appointments inevitably lead to more insurance dramas.

6. Rest - Yes, it is part of our goal to get some rest from the stresses of living abroad. This is tricky since it seems we are just trading those stresses with American stresses, but nonetheless, we are enjoying some time with family and friends. We recently had two short vacations in the Colorado mountains and were very thankful to be back in our beloved Rockies again in spite of the kids' very serious croup episodes.

So, like you, our lives are a mixture of family, work, fun, stress, fellowship, and hassles. However, we never feel quite at home because we are traveling between 2 states and 2 countries, living in a home that is not ours and heading to an entirely new spot altogether.

That being said, we really are enjoying our time with our family, old and new friends, favorite restaurants, libraries, playgrounds, and the change in the seasons. Now, back to the glorious effort to clear out my inbox...