We are in the midst of cross-cultural training and language acquisition study. You can think of it as Missionary Boot Camp. A typical day starts with early morning exercise, coffee, prayer, more coffee, and bible study.

Spring, the season of renewal and new life, has nearly sprung south of the equator — the pohutukawa, camellias, and bougainvillea are starting to bloom, painting a canvas of color on every street.

Happy to come home? We certainly were! We spent 32 days in the States this summer.

I will never forget my first day. I had just finished college, started my first full-time student pastor job, got married, went on our honeymoon, moved to a new city and had officially begun “adulting.”

When today’s headlines shout about the unraveling social connections, division and political chaos in our world, we can be tempted to get discouraged and overwhelmed.

The last time we corresponded with you we were packing our apartment and moving from Philadelphia to Phoenix, AZ. That was May.