Blessings during chaos

While going through our renewal seminar at World Gospel Mission headquarters last week, we received information about what missionaries go through when leaving their "host" culture and re-entering their "home" culture. The phases we experience when we go back and forth between countries is:
Engagement/Settled
Leaving (unsettling)
Transition (CHAOS)
Entering (re-settling)
Re-engagement/Settled
We are definitely in the CHAOS phase at this point. After arriving in St. Joseph, MI on July 19th, we have been living out of suitcases and traveled to our WGM headquarters in Indiana for 10 days of re-entry and workshops, and are now in South Carolina visiting Mike's parents. Thankfully, they are both doing well and we have enjoyed our visit with them! We will then head to Chattanooga for a few days to see Pam's folks, and get Melody ready for college. We will take her to International Orientation at Cedarville University on August 12th and she begins classes on the 18th. We will finally head back to St. Joseph, MI where we will move back into our home. On September 2nd, Steven will be starting at Southwestern Michigan College in their Paramedic program, Kayla and Ashley will start school again at Grace Christian School, and Mike will begin work at Southwestern Medical Clinic. It will feel SO good to get settled and to put down roots again.

However, we have also experienced many BLESSINGS during this chaotic time. A dear family has generously loaned us a vehicle for this first month that fits our family of 6 perfectly, and it also includes a trailer hitch which we will need to bring back a trailer with some of our belongings from Chattanooga. Pam's dad also has a minivan that we will take over payments on for the year.

We visited our home and were able to check on the flood damage in the basement. It was not nearly as bad as we were expecting, and had been dried out well. We have plans to have the drywall and flooring redone before we move in on the 19th. It will not cost as much as we had feared to repair so we are praising the Lord for this!

We hope to reconnect with many of you during our year in the States and also visit many churches to share what God is doing at Tenwek. Please visit our Chupp ministry in Kenya channel on Youtube to view a couple of videos we have posted of the ministries at Tenwek.

Thank you for praying for us that we will make this transition well, and that we will find joy in being back in our "home" country again.

Here's a picture of our sweet daughter Melody on graduation day.