Return from the Coast

by Jess Cropsey

Our team recently returned from a Serge East Africa retreat on the Kenyan coast.  It was great to interact with Serge leadership that joined us from the USA as well as our Serge missionary colleagues  working in other parts of East Africa.  We enjoyed a wonderful Seder meal on the beach together and walked through 4 days over Easter weekend with the themes of surrender-suffering-loss-resurrection-journey.  

Photo by Scott Myhre

Many of the Serge teams have gone through difficult circumstances in the last few months, including several deaths of family members and evacuations due to unrest, so we spent a lot of time sharing & praying for each other.   

Photo by Scott Myhre

Photo by Scott Myhre

The kids had their own program which included face painting, sand castle contests, seashell hunting, crafts, games, & much more! 

We had a free day in between the team leader portion of the retreat and the regional retreat.  Many of us opted for a boating excursion that included snorkeling, scuba diving, and lunch on an island.  Others stayed at the hotel, enjoying the winding pool with little waterslides and the beautiful beach.    

We try to maximize any opportunities when our kids are around water so that they can actually learn how to swim.  Our family passed some big milestones this time around, with Elise gaining in proficiency, Micah putting his face in the water (he was a rock star with snorkeling!) and cruising around with his floaties, and Sam being willing to even get in the water at all.  Yes, they're still a little behind the curve in this department, but we're working on it!

All of us made it safely back to Kibuye yesterday, but we have come back to a very different place!  Two of our interns, Molly Shankles & Abraham Paternoster, have finished their time with us and are on their way back to the USA.  The McLaughlin family is headed there as well for 9 months.  Carlan has left us for a little while to propose to his sweetheart.  So, we are facing a lot of transition!  Please pray for those headed back to the States and for Alyssa as she transitions to life back in Burundi after 4 months away.