Outside the Picket Fence
It was two years ago today that our plane landed in the Kansas City airport after an abrupt but intentional decision to leave our life in the Philippines. Time is a funny thing. Two years here in the States feels like a few months--while the almost three years in the Philippines felt like different kind of lifetime. I thought November would feel forever sad as I recount the trauma of returning Stateside and all that it entailed for our family. But today, I hold so much gratitude. It is difficult to capture all that the Lord has done since when we've been back. All I can simply say is, thank you to all of you who have continued walking and praying for our family in this grace journey. It is not too cliché to say, "We are all walking each other home." We have really felt that over the last two years.
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Four years ago on a particularly hot and lonely day in the Philippines, I art-journaled a poem. It was a liturgy that came out of a moment--but carried the weight of 7+ years in a wilderness. A liturgy of remembering to give thanks, despite the drought, because Manna sustains. View/Listen to "A Psalm for Grumbling Hearts" here.
This year, a new layer was added to that old art journal entry from 4 years ago. I've been sitting on this poem, "Outside the Picket Fence," for the last 6 months as we have been experiencing a brand new season of feeling a little more rooted and free. It's been a lament-filled year with the injustices and brokenness of the world always bombarding the news feed. While, paradoxically, I'm observing gardens emerging in our personal wilderness.
We have been learning that the flowers in the wilderness aren't just for me and my own--but for our neighbor too. 🌸Flourishing in a desert is a quiet and powerful resistance. It is a demonstration of a hope beyond what we can see. It is an invitation to participate in the ushering of God's kingdom here in this in-between space between the cross and the new heavens and earth.
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Cultural references:
Lolo - "Grandfather" in Tagalog
Lola - "Grandmother"
Kamayan - Filipino tradition of spreading food on banana leaves and eating with hands. This communal meal emphasizes unity, camaraderie, and togetherness by sharing food.
About the author: With over a decade of cross-cultural experiences, Ayla is passionate about loving people toward Jesus. Writing poetry, coffee-shop scenes, and lots of grace are what keep her going as she embraces motherhood of two littles and servanthood of the King.
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