Boomerang...Going Back to Africa

As my tee shot on the 7th hole drifted a little right of my target and off of the fairway, my cell phone rang. The caller was the International Justice Mission (IJM) Africa regional director. I had been eagerly awaiting this phone call since I interviewed with IJM in late-June for a salaried, leadership position with IJM in East Africa. After exchanging greetings, the regional director offered me the position of Field Office Director for IJM’s Rwanda office.

Kigali, Rwanda - A capitol city in the mountains

Dear friends, as you have gathered from the past several months’ reports, I loved my year in Kenya with IJM, so much so that I had a hard time picturing myself doing anything different with my life. Praise God that I will have the opportunity to continue doing so, with IJM Rwanda. Anna and I want to again thank you for making this possible and for standing for justice for victims of sexual violence. We would not be in this position to lead IJM’s Rwanda office if you had not stood with us. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

The decision to accept the Rwanda position was a very difficult one for Anna and me, however. First, it involves a three-year commitment, which means three years away from all of you. While we will have a month in the U.S. every year, we still feel the loss of missing out on time with our families and friends. Second, we will be heading to a new, unfamiliar place, Kigali, Rwanda. Anna and I were able to visit Kigali for a couple days in March, check out some neighborhoods and schools, and get a little feel for the city. We liked it. Nevertheless, it is not Nairobi, as Kigali has fewer Western amenities, a smaller, less-established school, etc. (We will talk more about Rwanda’s history and present in our next report). In sum, we felt the weight of this decision but felt that God was calling us to go. So, we go, trusting Him. In that, we are very excited what He has in store.

So, when will we leave? The schedule is not ideal, but it is what it is. Lane will make a trip to Kigali, Rwanda in late-October and spend six weeks there getting to know the staff, securing a house and a car, and preparing to hit the ground running toward the office’s goals for 2011. Meanwhile, Anna and the kids will stay in Austin while the big kids attend school for the fall semester. I (Lane) will return to Austin in early-December where we will have three weeks to wrap up things and spend the Christmas holidays with family. We will all then board a plane for Rwanda sometime between Christmas and New Year’s.

Meanwhile, since we’ve been back in Texas, we have gone to a family reunion (on Anna’s side), attended a week-long conference with our church’s missionaries, attended a Texas Rangers game (Caleb and Lane), and eaten way too much Tex-Mex, Texas barbecue, and the delicacies of other treasured Texas restaurants. Overall, we’ve done well transitioning back into life in Texas, although the heat has been brutal. 

Abigail at the Fourth of July Parade

Luke at the Blue Bell Factory

Caleb's air guitar jump off the diving board

Abigail will attend school for the first time starting this week, as she will begin Pre-Kindergarten at City School in Austin, Texas. She is very excited about playing with the other girls in her class. Caleb will be a 2nd grader at the same school. He is anxious to see many of his old friends from his Kindergarten and Pre-K days at City School.

As you can imagine, we could sure use your prayers over the next few months:

Unpacking and settling back into
our old home for the fall semester

• Transition. We landed two months ago and have only 4 months before we move back to Africa. Please pray for me and Anna as we sort through boxes, furniture, etc. and decide what to keep, what to sell, and what to take to Rwanda. This can feel entirely overwhelming.

• Lane’s Austin work. I will receive a salary for my role with IJM in Rwanda. However, I will not begin to earn that salary until late-October. In the meantime, I need to secure some law jobs so that I can support my family. Please pray that I would be able to secure sufficient work to support the family until I begin working with IJM.

• Relationships. As you can imagine, our decision to go to Rwanda has the hardest impact on our families. Please pray that we would be able to have significant, heart-to-heart conversations with our families and that we would be able to clearly communicate our love for them. Also, Anna and I will be attending a “Marriage Intensive” course in October, during which we hope to acquire additional skills in loving each other as God has called us to do.

• Spiritual Attack. As we prepare to go and stand against the evil injustices in Rwanda, we recognize that we have an enemy who is not pleased with this. I have already felt attacks which I can only attribute to the enemy’s attempts at intimidation. Please pray that Anna, our kids, and I would see these attacks for what they are and respond in the power God has given us.

We love you all and, again, we thank you SO much for walking with us in this journey.

Lane, for the Mearskats