Rachel's Reflections

There's no one driving the car! Or so I thought during my first week back in the US. Someone had cut my dad off while we were driving to visit my grandparents. Out of curiosity, I looked to see who the driver was. What!? I stared at the empty seat. There's no driver! It freaked me out. I looked again and still didn't see anyone in the driver's seat. Then I started laughing. I was looking at the right seat of the car. I looked over at the left seat and saw the driver. My parents gave me strange looks. "What?" my mom asked me. Everything had happened in my head except me laughing at myself. I told them and they laughed with me. In Mozambique, they drive on the opposite side of the road from the US. Not just that, but driving in Nampula stressed me out on a regular basis. It's sheer chaos. During rush hour once I counted four "lanes" going one way on a two-lane road. Two chapa vans tried to maneuver in front of me from my left and right with inch...

Am I crazy? Is this real? During my first week back in Michigan I started researching what it would take to get a second degree in counseling. Mainly out of curiosity. And I had time to kill. Also, I regret choosing a Christian Ministries degree over counseling only because Christian Ministries had fewer credits than the counseling degree.  "You qualify for the Master's program," the admissions guy told me, "and you would get a discount as an alumnus." I told him I needed a few days to think and pray about it. A Master's? I never thought I would even consider something like that,  I thought, b ut if I were to do it, then I should make the most of my time in the US and see if summer classes are possible.  I sent a message to the admissions counselor on a Wednesday afternoon asking about summer classes. "Tonight's the deadline for applications," he said. "I would just need a character reference for you from a pastor or mentor and ask you a f...

My whole team back in Mozambique went to Pemba to do Home Stays this week. They each stayed in the home of a Mwani believer for a few days to learn about the Mwani culture and language. I'm thankful that each of my teammates had the privilege to do this even though I never could because of the attacks, Covid, and other factors. When I asked Roseli how it went for her, she said it was great. The Mwani believer and her non-believing husband treated her super well. The husband surprised Roseli by helping his wife around the home, showing an interest in his kids and their education. This impressed Roseli since it's uncommon for a Mwani man to be that involved at home. A picture Roseli took during her Home Stay "The last night there," Roseli said, "I asked the Mwani believer if there was anything else she thought I should know about the Mwani culture. She looked me in the eyes and said ' it's very important to tell you that every unsaved Mwani is demon-possess...