Back Home

It was sad to say weraba (goodbye) to the people we came to love, but it is good to be back in the states. Chris and I arrived in Seattle on Saturday afternoon, greeted by the smiles of our family. They indulged us with many of the foods we had missed while in Africa, specifically raw vegetables, cheese, and ice cream. We sat around and shared stories as we looked at the nearly 1,700 pictures Chris took (!) as well as watched the video footage of our trip.

Yesterday Chris and I found ourselves being drawn to Seattle, a place our hearts constantly yearn to be. We got some Subway and headed to Sunset Hill in Ballard to enjoy the sunshine and beauty of the day. But we kept finding ourselves overwhelmed by life here. After a couple arguments and frustration at being back in America, we decided to just rent some movies and come home (currently Carnation). Once home Chris and I decided to take a nap at 5:oopm and eventually woke up at 1:ooam, forced ourselves to stay in bed until 5:ooam so that we wouldn't repeat the schedule today. This jet lag thing is new to both of us since neither of us has gone too far out of the country before.

Chris has already gone off to work today. Early this morning we found ourselves praying against the temptation to busy ourselves and be anxious about the stress that tends to come too easily with our way of life here. We hope to maintain the spirit of peace and joy in everyday work that we cultivated more than ever before in Uganda. As we begin to think about where we will live, we find ourselves anxious. As we begin to think about whether I want a full-time teaching job or to be a substitute for awhile, we find ourselves anxious. But as we cling to the what we do know and Him that sustains us, we find ourselves thankful and at peace.

To those of you that lifted us up in prayer, thank you; we could not have gone on this journey alone. Without the guidance and love of the Lord our time in Uganda would have been meaningless. Chris and I are sad to be far from those we built relationships with. Every once in awhile I find myself in tears over the children that have taken such a dear place in my heart, specifically Nantale. I miss hearing her laugh as she comes into the room, and crawls up on my lap with a book in English that she doesn't understand but wants me to read to her anyway. I miss going to the market with Esther and our conversations about life. I know Chris wishes that Travis could have come back with him so they could hang-out everyday still. Oh, we are so blessed to have family in different parts of the world.

We are still adjusting to life here. Our thoughts are still processing. As we begin to get accustomed to this culture and lifestyle again, our prayer is that we would remember what God showed us in Africa and take that with us in all we do. We look forward to hearing how each one of you are doing and sharing our stories and pictures with you in return. Thank you for your love.

Katonda akuwe omukisa (God bless you),

Tiffany (& Chris) Acker

*PS: It is a tradition for volunteers to receive an African name before they leave. Travis gave Chris an African name that means "father of twins." He is certain that we will have twins in the future. Let's hope he's not prophetic.