As we return back to the USA for a short furlough this summer, we’ll be traveling around sharing this vision with the churches and people who have supported us over the years. I love what AIM is about, and we feel privileged to be a small part of it.
But then I gave more thought to the concept of a “best day” – this idea that a particular event might characterize or encompass all the reasons why we were here in Africa these last two years. A particular story that reminds us of the big picture and connects all the dots. A day that gives us strength for all the others when we could not see so clearly.
Literacy is like a living thing. Children who read are taught by adults who themselves can read. It is a skill that trickles down from generation to generation, and when the cycle is broken, a people group can become functionally illiterate in a very short time. The war in Sudan disrupted education to such a degree that an entire generation was being left behind.
But sometimes, when the pilot flies sharp and smooth, I look down out the window. And here I see our shadow dip and rise with the contours of an African landscape. I am reminded of the harsh and unforgiving environment in which we fly, and I am reminded of why we train so hard; why we fly at all.