After the rain, the long work of rebuilding
What the landslide took, what the church gave back, and how to pray for the families still waiting.
We left home early with a short shopping list and an optimistic idea of how long the walk would take. A familiar turn was closed, the next road led somewhere we did not recognize, and our morning quickly became a language lesson.
A neighbor noticed us reading the same street sign twice. She asked where we were going, then walked with us far enough to explain the route. Along the way, she pointed out the bakery we had been trying to find for weeks. We arrived late, but with better directions and a new conversation.
Receiving help is part of learning to live here. It reminds us that we are guests, that competence grows slowly, and that relationships are not built by always being the useful person. Sometimes the honest thing is to admit we do not know the way.
Please pray that we keep that willingness to ask. Pray also for our neighbors, whose patience has become one of the great gifts of this season. We are learning more than vocabulary on these walks. We are learning how a place becomes familiar through the people who share it with us.
Thank you for reading, praying, and staying in touch with our family. A reply to this letter is always welcome. We would love to hear what ordinary life looks like where you are, and how we can pray for you in the month ahead.
For the coming week, we are keeping a simple prayer list near our kitchen table: the people we are learning from, the work ahead, and the families who have written to us. Your name may be on that list. We are grateful that this friendship reaches across the distance.