Foggy Road Ahead!

T Minus 163

Today’s journey to work was interesting. The familiar journey was shrouded in thick impenetrable fog – like much of the Southern England. This was probably the thickest fog I’ve travelled through for a few years. Luckily I was prepared (a tweet from the met office at 6:15am helped) and left earlier than usual. Even so it was tight timing!

Travelling across  Buckinghamshire along country roads it was often hard to see more than a few metres ahead. Amazingly some drivers didn’t have their lights on which was a surprise but I think this has something to do with having automatic lights.  One of the problems with automatic lights is that they respond to light levels – which means they don’t switch on in daylight even if fog is really thick. I’ve been caught out myself before now. To use the fog lights you obviously need to have the main beams on too. In my car I do this by switching the beams from automatic to manual.

I doubt there’s much fog in Mwanza – though living by a lake you never know. However, as I travelled this morning I  thought about the metaphorical  foggy road ahead for us in the next few years.Many people have asked about Anita and my plans in the longer term. Partly this is on the back of the fact we’re selling rather than renting the house.

The truth is we don’t fully know. Our journey is a bit like mine on the foggy road this morning.

My faith in God is like the  lights I’ve switched on, I can be seen by others on the road and it helps me to see a little further myself and spot obstacles on my route, but even so I can only see so far ahead. I have to make an active decision to turn on the lights (my faith – actively seeking / praying to God), rather than rely doing things automatically (through routine / habit) – this is my challenge in a busy life, especially when juggling the needs of work and moving.

The road before us is unknown but Anita and I both trust in the path ahead and so are unworried by the uncertainties this ‘fog’ brings.

In simple terms the initial teaching contract at Isamilo is for two years. I hope that if things go well that I will be able to ultimately extend this for a further year  to allow Bex to complete her GCSE’s and hopefully two more after that, which would be 5 years in total. However, this thinking is all before we’ve even set foot in Tanzania and things might change. I trust God that this is the right path and the decision is correct. Both Anita and I believe it to be true. and that God will work all  this out. Beyond that who knows? With mutual consent (school and us) we might stay longer, staff seem to  have been able to do this at Isamilo. Then again we might travel further overseas , within or beyond Africa. We might return to the UK.

It’s a foggy road ahead  I’m just glad I’ve got my lights on.