Savoring the Hudson River Valley

Our family enjoying a hike in the Shawangunks in New York.


I don't think I could do justice in words or photos to the events of the past week.  I did try to get a picture for each major event but eventually had to give up as there have been too many to post.  Monday began in Baltimore and after a shopping spree on Saturday I was ready to begin a running routine on Monday morning with a new pair of running shoes.  It has been a while since I have run as it is just a bit too psychologically exhausting to do so in Burundi under the constant scrutiny of curious onlookers.

I started with a short 3 miler around my parents' neighborhood and enjoyed the quiet of the suburban streets so much, I did not dare disturb it with headphones and an ipod.  I was still seeing everything through my "Burundi lenses" and found myself observing many sounds, smells, and sights I would have overlooked in the past.  Probably one of the most memorable was a woman walking a dog wearing a bandana (the dog).  It really struck me how completely odd that would be in Burundi.   Dogs are seen as utilitarian, not pets, and generally they are feared and bred and treated to be vicious.  A decorative bandana would be a very strange accessory for a Burundian dog.

Monday was also a day for doctor visits where I learned that the Burundian diet is not at all good for cholesterol levels (despite all the swimming).  This is not great news as statin drugs are not available in Burundi.  (Quite honestly Rebecca and I have been so worried about avoiding infectious diseases like typhoid and malaria that we have given little thought to problems like cholesterol or high blood pressure.) On Tuesday, we really enjoyed a family outing to the Aquarium with my parents.

Wednesday was a travel day.  We headed up to Poughkeepsie NY, our old stomping ground.  We were excited about the trip, even the familiar 5 hour drive through Pennsylvania with our regular stop at a McDonalds PlayLand.  I had forgotten how smooth (and boring) US highway driving is!  I never had to swerve out of the way of anything coming right at me the whole way!

We arrived in the afternoon and went to the home of Don and Rosaura.  (Our friends who visited us about 2 months ago in Burundi.)  Rosaura was out of town unexpectedly, but Don and little Gabriela were there and Oren and David were happy to see her again and play with all of her toys, watch her videos, etc.

We were only spending about 4 full days in Poughkeepsie and wanted to pack in as much of 'seeing our favorite people' and 'doing our favorite things' as possible.  We began well as Don and Rosaura had arranged for some meetings with friends in advance.

Thursday morning I was very fortunate to be able to get together with Bruce Hempel, a brother in the KAIROS prison ministry and spiritual mentor for me.  We spent several hours in conversation together and it was good to catch up on the activities of KAIROS and other activities and challenges he faces as a leader in his church, the KAIROS community, and the father of 8 children.  He remains, despite all this, one of the most patient, peaceful men I have ever met.

We had dinner with our small group Thursday evening at Chris and Theresa Garret's house (some were on vacation, but all families were represented by someone.)  We also had a chance to stop by the church (Poughkeepsie United Methodist Church) where Rebecca had been youth pastor. We were able to see some of the youth off to a Mexico Outreach mission trip.  (This was a trip that Rebecca had started at the church and was now going on in its 7th year).  We do think this trip has been a 'proving ground' for youth in our church and inspired many on to even more ambitious mission trips--particularly the one to Burundi last year where Bridget Marrine, Justin and Alicia Thompson-Gee came and spent nearly a month with us.  (These were 3 of Rebecca's youth when she was the youth pastor here.)

Friday was a particularly good day.  We planned a hike in one of our favorite places in the world--the Shawangunk Mountains--Lake Minnewaska to be precise.  In the past we hiked with only one small child in a backpack, so going on an ambitious hike with both Oren and David proved to be a trial.  We had David in the backpack and Oren walked but was so distracted by finding and eating wild berries growing along the path that we were only able to keep him going for one loop around the lake.  (I swear it was like hiking with a black bear in tow--he picked and ate at least of quart of wild raspberries and blueberries each!)  We were very happy to have our friend Heidi Espinoza join us on the trip.  On the way home we stopped at a farmers market and bought some sweet corn which the kids proceeded to eat raw as soon as we shucked it that evening at Don's house.

On Saturday we began the day by joining Don at his produce pick-up from the Vassar Farm cooperative.    We used to be members when we lived in Poughkeepsie and always enjoyed fresh vegetables in the summer from there.  We also took a hike on the grounds with Oren leading the way this time.  The afternoon was another opportunity to see friends.  Alicia Seling nee Thompson-Gee, who had recently gotten married, was having a reception in Poughkeepsie at PUMC, her home church.  We enjoyed seeing her as well as many others in attendance from the church.  It was a great afternoon of fun and fellowship.  Oren really enjoyed getting reacquainted with the church playground and wooden trains he remembered from his time there as a toddler.

We ended the evening with a special treat--a visit to Debra T's ice cream parlor where we spent time with Don and Jeff Hart from small group who was there with his daughter Aly.  Oren, David, and Gabriela spent several hours playing on the wooden train playground in the back of the open air restaurant.  Rebecca and I enjoyed our nostalgic fixes of ice cream (I am a sucker for mint soft serve with  chocolate sprinkles.)

Sunday was the apotheosis of all these get-togethers.  We attended the two morning worship services where we spoke during a missions moment in each.  Rebecca assisted with communion (for old time's sake) and gave a brief presentation between the services.  We also enjoyed hearing Bridget Marrine (one of the youth who had visited us in Burundi last year) preach a sermon about her experience in mission.  It was touching to hear her tell of ways in which Rebecca's time as youth pastor had shaped her personal faith journey and led her to serve God in places as remote to New York as Uganda and Burundi.

It was very emotional to worship in this familiar setting after spending about 2 year worshipping in a cross-cultural setting.  I was personally very deeply moved by the Voices In Praise, the morning praise choir that I used to be a part of in the early service.  They sounded great, and when they sang "Salvation Belongs to Our God" I confess that the lump in my throat was too large to allow me to emit a sound.  I just held up my hands and closed my eyes.

We were out of church just before noon and I mused to myself that the timing for two services and the break in between was shorter than a typical single service in Burundi.  (I am not too 'Holy' to admit I like a shorter service :-)  But our perception of the time there is that PUMC is really vibrant and thriving and we were happy to feel that the ministries to which we had contributed in the past were continuing to bear fruit.

After the service we went to a picnic in the park 'in our honor'.  It was a fabulous gathering with great food.  We made our best effort to re-connect with old friends and find out all that has been happening for them in the past two years (an impossible feat) but did catch up with a few.  Oren was thrilled to be reunited with old childhood friends and several of his babysitter/girlfriends that he used to spend time with when his mom was youth pastor.  The picture here is him with Sarah and Laurel Hicks and Mikela Shields.

We ended the evening at Don's house eating Mexican carryout from Mole Mole, a dive we really liked.

We left Poughkeepsie on Monday morning after a breakfast with Michelle Whalen and Joanne Jensen, two of the administrators who were in the dance department with me.  It was a teary reunion and a bittersweet reminder of who and what we gave up to work in Burundi.

Rebecca and I continue to be affirmed in our decision to go to Burundi, but I felt very compelled to tell those who were in Poughkeepsie that they should never take for granted what a blessing it is to live in the Hudson River Valley, one of the most beautiful places in the world.