Being Recalled

How do I describe this last week?  Surreal, hard to fathom, chaos, unbelievable?  After last week's blog about the wonderful gifts, the team brought me and the gift of their time and presence we move to my being recalled to the states.

Why?

As many will recall, I had to come home in April due to my residence permit expiring and not being able to get a new one due to the requirement that any resident must have a work permit first.  At that time, we had applied for the work permit 2 months prior to my coming home.  2 months is a lot longer than their promised 15 day turn around.

This last week FDMC (the Tanzanian side) canceled all my work suddenly citing concerns about my not having the work permit and in the ensuing discussion FDMUSA (the US side) decided at their Thursday board of directors meeting to recall me because of those concerns.  I understand their liability concerns, even if I was willing to assume the in-country risk.  I have long been a believer that boots on the ground security can best be assessed by the boots on the ground.  However, I am also military enough, that once a decision has been made you quit arguing your case and you get on board with the decision.  Once I was told of the decision when I called in to talk to the executive committee on Saturday, I did that and started planning my exit. 

Everyone knew that I had to request my supporters quit sending financial support if I was unable to do the work they were supporting me to do.  Let me take this moment to do that and request if you have not already stopped payment on regular contributions that you do so as soon as you can.  This happened so suddenly that I did not have a backup plan that I could move to so I must take some time to now create that plan and do not think it is fair to ask for your hard-earned money while I do that.

Unfortunately, I must also take some space to quickly address an email that has some factual errors.  I DID NOT offer to quit as missionary engineer for FDM. I was recalled and should end the service because there is no idea when I might return but it would be months from now. Enough of that.

What Now?

The short answer is I have no clue and I have no feeling about it either.  I am not sure if I will look for another foreign missionary service, stateside missionary service or look to get a non-missionary job.  While I was looking at my resume, I noticed something interesting though.  I graduated high school and within weeks I was in the Army; I left the Army and had two jobs within days; every spring break, fall break, Christmas break, summer I was off somewhere working, I took a job quickly out of college, I left that job and went to work for my next company within days, I left that job and started up the environmental division at HCE the next day, I worked on HCE items until I left to come over here.  I have taken very few vacations over the years with most of them being mission trips to do work somewhere else.  I think maybe I should take a little time to decide on my next move.  My only expense will be food and my house but I have a renter for another 10 months that provides me with about enough net income to pay for my food.  As long as my parents and I can handle it, I will hopefully stay with them until my house becomes available or I make the next career/mission move.  I even have some money put away I could do a vacation that does not involve work.

I have already been contacted by a couple of interested parties from different areas of the world and here in Tanzania.  Yes, I can come back here and work as long as the group I do it with is willing to do so without a work permit.

The Good, The Bad and the Interesting

Good:

• It is a little difficult to live in a tiny house with critters and tip toe around all the stacks of items for the site less I knock one over.
• It will be nice to be back in a house where everything does not have to be sealed to keep the varmints out and I am not constantly cleaning bat and varmint crap off everything including my bed.
• It is a rough life here physically.  I feel like I have spent three years in boot camp which is a little tough at my age.
• No more being called a white person, being stared at constantly, having people touch my arm hair, being asked for food, being asked for money, being asked "horyou" which should be "how are you" by kids who don't understand the answer, being honked at because they want me to use their motorcycle taxi etc.
• No more being asked to pay white person prices (sometimes even clearly marked on hotel walls)
• Back to washing machines, running water, microwaves, good food and not having to walk everywhere
• Back to air conditioning and heat
• The generous outpouring of love and positive comments from friends on Facebook

Bad:

• Missing the kids already
• Not working with Isayah my helper/grounds keeper
• All the friends I made here and worked hard to maintain those relationships
• The unfinished ideas for the playground
• Not getting to do the vocational classes
• Not being sure where I am headed next (I like a plan)
• Many emotional goodbyes (I don’t like doing emotions 😉)

Interesting:

• The questions Isayah kept asking me as I said goodbye
• The little girl in Arusha who came up to me as I was walking along a busy street and asked loudly enough I could translate what she said.  She wanted me to help her cross the road.
• Cashing out the work bank account I had here and converting it USD is a lot of fun (NOT)
• I was able to get a flight to New Orleans to join my family, a hotel room for a night while I wait for them to arrive, and a flight to Greenville cheaper than I could get one straight to Greenville
• Flying on a short trip from New Orleans to Greenville with two large check bags is almost as expensive as buying first class tickets that include two free check bags (guess what I choose)
• I am already starting my plan to take some vacation time (see I told you I like a plan)
• I was able to get all the remaining bears to the Arusha Vineyard church which promised to distribute them for me