July 12, 2006

There is a strange mixture of joy, anxiety and grace in the missionary life when it comes to returning home periodically in order to re-establish relationship with family, friends and church. Though a season of joyful reunion, the radical physical, emotional, cultural and vocational displacement it requires is far beyond the mettle of any individual. Yet it is precisely at this point that one discovers once again the grace that comes from the relationships with friends and strangers that fellowship in Christ affords.

Returning home begins months before you actually leave. Churches, colleagues and administrators, both in the host country and in the United States, need to be informed. Because our work involves churches, national Christian institutions, schools and individuals both within and outside Singapore, making arrangements for departure is always quite complicated and you are always left scratching your head wondering if you have successfully coordinated a smooth transition.

Turning one’s sights towards home, one faces the unenviable task of locating a place to stay for ten months that is furnished and inexpensive yet suitable for family and ministry. This is done sight unseen and often from a person unknown to you. Here, the eyes and ears of church friends have directed us to wonderful places we have been privileged to call home. Transport is the next great hurdle. Finding a car that is cheap, reliable enough to endure thousands of highway miles and able to retain its market value while meeting all our travel and dimensional needs leans heavily on divine intervention. Combing the asphalt jungle of autotrader.com is far more bewildering and treacherous than any trek through the rainforests of Southeast Asia. Even the best-laid plans are quickly set aside once firmly onto American soil with two or three days to find, thoroughly examine, and purchase a vehicle. Though anxiety producing and always an ordeal, in hindsight one is amazed by grace even in the murky world of used car sales.

Setting up a calendar that takes into consideration traveling from the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts, from Georgia to New England and seemingly all points in between, in order to share with dozens of churches is a logistical nightmare. Further the calendar seems to be in a perpetual state of flux as it bends to the needs and schedules of the churches we visit. Through clever juggling and continuous rearranging, somehow it all comes together and we find ourselves fellowshipping and sharing with old and new friends about how God is at work in Presbyterian mission in Southeast Asia and beyond.

The last few weeks before leaving are a whirlwind as the tasks of departure collide with the end of the academic year. Tests must be written, papers must be graded, graduation ceremonies and dinners attended, and proper farewells given. Added to the hustle and bustle of TTC graduation, this year our son Paul graduated from high school and will attend college this fall.

Finally we needed to get home and office ready for a year’s absence so that they will survive the equatorial heat and moisture of Singapore. Returning from our last furlough, Tom opened his office door to discover a thick layer of mold and mildew covered his office.

Needless to say, it was a tired bunch that loaded the plane for America in June and the adventure has only just begun. Nonetheless, the golden thread of grace that brought us through the initial phase directs us providentially forward.

We will be staying in Durham, North Carolina, from late August through early May. On our way to North Carolina we will be participating in the New Wilmington Missionary Conference in Pennsylvania. This is an annual Presbyterian mission conference in Western Pennsylvania to challenge and encourage young people to consider world mission. After this we will attend the PC(USA) Sharing Conference in Louisville where we will gather with other missionaries and staff to share experiences and prepare for our time sharing with PC(USA) churches across the country. From Louisville we will then make our way to North Carolina before hitting the road again to send Joe and Paul off to college.

Joe will be in his second year at Davidson. He spent the summer working for a law firm in Santa Monica, California, where he was put to work filing, summarizing depositions, and acquainting himself with the law profession. Paul will be attending Wheaton College, Tom’s alma mater. Already, he is finding temperatures in the mid- 60s “cold”—wait till he feels the first bite of a Chicago winter. Emma will be with us in North Carolina and will either home school or enroll in a middle school in Durham. Judy and Tom will spend a good deal of time visiting churches to inform, encourage and thank them for their support of ongoing Presbyterian mission overseas. 

Tom will also researching and writing on the relationship between the globalization of the church and the development of doctrine and theology. After a hectic year, Judy is looking forward to re-establishing our deep ties with family, friends and churches here in the U.S.A. It will be our first full year in the United States in nearly a decade and a chance for our family to be together to celebrate the holidays together.

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible this year during our time of sharing with Presbyterian churches here in the United States.

Our address after August 9 will be:
1021 Ninth St.
Durham, NC 27705

Tom’s e-mail
Judy’s e-mail

Blessings to you all.

From the Harveys
Tom, Judy, Joe, Paul, and Emma

The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 126