Have you ever heard of the television shows like "Army Wives" and "Desperate Housewives"? I don't watch them but have heard of the story lines and don't think I want to!
We could call it "Missionary Wife Life" or something like that, I don't know what you would really call it but let me tell you a little of this story line!
Since this story line could be way to long and dramatic(!!!) we'll just stick with one episode, ha!
One thing I always loved about our life on the mission field is the fact that we do missions together, we both love our life on the mission field and just about everything about it, of course there are things sometimes we could do without, but isn't that the case everywhere?
When we first were married, we both were already serving on the mission field, so we carried on as usual, we both did missions together. After we had children, I was somewhat more restricted in what all I could do and there were times that it just wasn't feasible for us all to travel into the thickets of the jungle, that's where this story will take us.
Picture this, my husband has the four wheel drive packed and ready for journey, he has emergency MRE's, water, First-Aid kit, repellent, all the boy needs for his "jungle play"! And then there is me, with my infant in one arm and a map of the lush jungle with countless river snake lines running throughout. He points and tells me "there, that's where I will be stationed for four days" then like every other time, he says "you know the drill, if I'm not back within 48 hours of when I'm supposed to be back, send for rescue". We prayed and kissed and said our "see you later" and I watched as he rolled away.
While he is away on these journeys, there is no communication between us, no phone or internet, no electricity or ways of communication where he goes to into the deep jungle. I find myself glancing at the map frequently imagining of where he might be at that moment in time. Every once in a while, I since an urge in my spirit, but quickly overcome any fear through the security my Lord gives.
Two, three, four days go by and now it's time to prepare his return, he should be back soon now, any time today or even perhaps by tomorrow.
25 hours pass and I'm OK with it, knowing how difficult is can be sometimes traveling in the jungle, there are always obstacles. 36 hours, 38, 40, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, "it's OK", I tell my self over and over again, 48, 49, 50. OK, now I'm not. I prepare myself for the worst but know that I have got to find help.
Right before I go to call for help through a dear friend of ours who is a missionary pilot, the phone rings and just like I imagined in a movie or something, I dread who might be on the other end, giving me news I do not want. As I reach for the phone with trembling hands, I hears a faint voice on the other end "Leah, call for help, I can't get out" It was my husband, come to find out later, he and the two Shuar men that traveled with him were stranded in the jungle, they had drove into the river port like usual and went down river in the canoe 6 hours visited with the village then on the return realized the river had risen due to rain and floods, they canoed back as far as they could but since the port was flooded above the tree line, the car was no where to be found, they had to canoe in further to land, get out and hike through the wet, thick jungle until they found a place to rest for the night, then traveled again the next day until they found a post station where there was a radio/phone and he was able to call in to me for just long enough to tell me where they were located and the nearest landing strip that they could be picked up.
I then called our missionary friend Rick LaBouef who took off in his jungle plane and headed for where he though they might be. It took a while to find them but just at the last attempt they were able to locate them and bring them home safely the next day!
Needless to say, my journey has been filled with these stories and every one of them a different and interesting storyline. One thing, however that I am sure of after ten years of "Missionary Wife Life" is that I know I wouldn't trade it for the world, it has made me into the person I am today and continues to develop my character and places the much needed stepping stones to a journey I call LIFE!
