Didn’t I just pack a bag like this?
Warning from the Embassy
Sends me searching through the closets again.
Please Lord, Maranatha
What season is it in my homeland?
Do the kids have the right kinds of clothes?
Please Lord, Maranatha
Keep a low profile, lay low for awhile
An American in a small African town
Do we count as a target?
Maranatha
My neighbors say, “Please no violence on our soil.”
“We haven’t done anything.”
Forgive me, friends, if my presence here puts you in danger.
Maranatha
Watch the email and CNN, talk with the Embassy
We continually analyze the situation for a possible evacuation.
Maranatha
Prayers mixed with anxiety
Overseas phone calls from parents
“Just checking if you are ok.”
“We are praying for you,”
Maranatha
Passports, US dollars, immunization records
Film negatives and the computer
Packed and Ready
Please Lord, Maranatha
Constant reminders, This world is not my home.
We’ll stay and work as long as we are able
Even so, come quickly, Lord, come quickly.
©2003 Thrive
View the original print magazine where this article was first published.
