Hey all! As you may have noticed, I haven't been blogging for a while. I'd like to do that more often, but if you'd like to be on my regular communication list, you are welcome to write to me at abigailcaple@gmail.com (or message me on Facebook) and ask to receive my newsletter. I send it out quarterly and I try to keep people pretty up to date on there! I also post regularly on Facebook and I'm starting to share a little on Instagram as well.
Currently I'm home in the US on furlough. It has been a whirlwind trip involving three countries and (if all goes according to plan), eleven states! I've slept in a different bed just about every week, and am spending far more time than I anticipated just packing, unpacking, and reorganizing my luggage! But it has been such a privilege and so cool to be able to visit so many friends. If I can't have you all in the same place, this is the next best thing.
I thought I'd use this to answer a few frequently asked questions!
- How long are you home?
I left South Africa in mid-August, but I spent the first two weeks of furlough visiting former MBH interns in Germany and Switzerland. I entered the US on the first of September and I fly back to South Africa on November 8th, arriving November 9th.
I spent two and a half weeks in Minnesota and Oklahoma during September, and we (Mom, Dad, and I) are (God willing - there is currently a hurricane happening) going to be road tripping down to Florida in the first half of October. We plan on stopping in North Carolina on the way there and on the way back. (I am also going up to Miracle Mountain Ranch in Pennsylvania this weekend.) So, my total time in Ohio amounts to about 5 weeks - not an awfully long time at all, once you factor in all the things I need to do and people I need to see!
- Do you miss the kids?
Yes! Yes I miss them! I can't wait to get back and see them. I video call them about every week and S (our two year old) is thrilled to talk to me, although most of the time she points the camera at her forehead or at the ceiling. I'm also super excited to go back and see my church family. But I'm enjoying my time here, enjoying having a bit of a break from my everyday work, and attempting (rather unsuccessfully) to get some rest.
- Are you going back?
Yes. I live there now. The goal is to live there as long as I possibly can, hopefully until I'm old and gray (actually, I'm already gray, and I'm feeling kind of old, so hopefully far past that). I wouldn't mind spending my whole life there. I'm not the kind of person who likes a fresh change of pace all the time, I like to put down roots. Visa situations can be complicated though and I have to reapply every few years. (Maybe someday I'll be able to get something more permanent, but there are no clear paths in that direction at the moment.) I also have to maintain enough support to live on. So far, both those conditions have been met, but they are a daily reminder that I have to place my trust in God rather than in the government or in money.
- Would you want to marry a South African/is there anyone in your life/do you have a boyfriend?
I would be totally fine with marrying a South African, as long as he was the right guy. (Would certainly make the visa thing easier, so they're actually preferred, although I'd definitely never marry just for that.) This is a public blog so I'll just remark for the random stranger who may be reading it, I have very high standards, so don't bother sending me a marriage proposal. No, I do not have a boyfriend. No, I do not want to set up a profile on a dating app. I want to get married someday, but I enjoy being single and I'm not desperate to change that (no offense to those of you who do online dating - it just isn't for me and personally I think I'd have to get to the point of desperation before trying it). Marriage is a wonderful, beautiful thing and I think I have a reasonably healthy view of it, I'm just by and large content with where God has put me right now regarding this.
- What can we be praying for?
Please pray that God will continue to sustain me where I am! Pray for my furlough - it's going fast and feels pretty chaotic. I'm not getting all the things done I wanted to, although I think my expectations were kind of unrealistic. (They felt realistic at the time!) Pray for self-discipline in the middle of this constantly changing schedule. Pray for my foot - I've been struggling with plantar fasciitis for over a year now and it's painful, persistent, and incredibly discouraging. Pray for increased support - I am working on raising my monthly support levels. Pray for this upcoming trip that may be derailed by a hurricane.
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Adjusting back to your own culture, even for a short time, is hard. I'm not fully African and never will be, and I'll also never be 100% American again. I'm looking forward to Heaven, where I will be 100% at home. I think some of the strangeness comes from just being out of a normal schedule, but things here sometimes feel sleepy, disconnected, and quiet (it kind of reminds me of the Wood Between the Worlds in the Narnia series), even when I have a lot to do. Also, it's a really weird feeling to not remember things - how to deposit a check, how to get to your friend's house, which side of the car to climb into. It's strange to hear everyone speak in your accent. It's strange to actually understand everything that is said around you, whether it's relevant to you or not - I'm used to so much of the background noise being in another language! It's strange to be in a land where people can just spend money without thinking about it - we live in a better off part of Africa than many places, but struggle is the norm. And things here are just so much more expensive than I remember and definitely more expensive than SA - well, most things. I can't believe a jar of spaghetti sauce is only a dollar, I'd pay three or four times that much for a jar half the size (except I wouldn't actually - I make it myself!) The longer I'm here, the less shocking stuff is, but it still doesn't feel normal.
However, I am really thankful for this opportunity. I'm thankful to be able to at least attempt to rest, to catch up with old friends, to spend time with family, to enjoy things I've learned to live without but I have missed. Dryers are so exciting, guys. And large public libraries (we have libraries, but they're tiny). Taco Bell. Autumn leaves. Good ice cream. People who think chocolate and peanut butter is a normal combination. Thrift stores. (Ok, we have those in SA, but I'm enjoying them here anyway. They're bigger and better.) A functioning post office. The woods. Variety in online shopping. Daylight savings time. Wal-Mart. Those little bars on shopping carts you can stand on if you want to race them across the parking lot. (Some things on my "missed" list are very small and very strange!) Green grass. Apple picking. Cheez-Its. Oh, and you know what's huge, the LACK OF CRIME. Not having to look over my shoulder and hang onto my purse constantly. There are no fences! You can sleep with your window open and NO FENCE (except you can't because there's air conditioning)! The only reason I lock the car while I'm driving is because I don't want to get out of the habit. None of these things are really a big sacrifice to give up (other than probably the safety thing - and of course friends and family). But they're nice to enjoy while I can.
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If any of you would like to hang out while I'm home, let me know! I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible. I also have prayer cards I can mail out if you'd like one to hang on your fridge. I know so many people are praying for me and I really appreciate your prayers so much. Also, if anyone is interested in knowing more about how you can help support me and/or MBH, I'd love to chat. I was hoping to speak at some churches/to some small groups while I'm home, but time is filling up fast! I don't think I have any free Sunday mornings left - I'm already at my sending church precious few Sundays as it is - but if anyone knows of any small groups or Bible studies that would be interested in hearing about my work at MBH, please let me know! Time is definitely flying. I thought three-ish months would be a long time, but it's halfway gone now - as of today, actually, it's day 43 of 84!
Only one life, will soon be past;
Only what's done for Christ will last.
