Friday night we arrived in Hingham, Mass., just outside of
Boston. Our short,
seven-hour drive from Baltimore turned out to be an eleven-hour drive
because we had stop-and-go traffic all along the New Jersey turnpike. In true Omasombo fashion, there was
lots of laughter and no complaining.
After our long trip, we were excited to arrive at the
Lussier home, where we were welcomed with a warm meal and new friends. We sat around the table and laughed
about where we’d been and where we were going.
Sitting around the table after dinner, laughing with the
family I’d come to know and love over the last year, I began to realize just
how hard the next 24 hours were going to be. I looked at each of their faces and thought back to the time
we’d shared together. Up until
then, I was able see my friend David whenever I wanted. Even though the Omasombos had lived in
a dangerous part of town, I always felt like I could offer them some sort of
protection because I was only a phone call away. For the first time since we decided to embark on the
adventure to Maine, it hit me that the van was going to be empty on the way
back. No more Emmanuel babbling
the ABCs, no more Louise and Esther giggling over a whispered secret in the
back seat, no more Poya giving a reassuring smile when I got us lost in a new
city. As the weight of this revelation
began to sink in, I decided the time would come to say goodbyes and be sad, but
our next 24 hours were about having fun and cherishing the precious time we
had together before we turned the van around and headed home.
We woke up early the next morning and the Lussiers had a
surprise for us: Everybody put on
shorts, we loaded up two cars, and then headed for the beach! Nobody in the Omasombo family had ever seen
the Atlantic Ocean, and they’d asked about it almost every time we passed a river
or lake on the interstate. The
only word I can think of to adequately describe the next two hours is
“heavenly”.
At one point, I stopped in my tracks and surveyed the scene
unfolding around me. I marveled
over the joy in David and Esther’s eyes as they recklessly crashed into and
jumped over wave after wave. I
looked to my left to find Germaine, Alan, and Emanuel expertly filling buckets
to make sandcastles. I caught
Louise and Deborah laughing and throwing a football out of the corner of my
eye. Finally, I saw Omasombo
embracing his wife Poya in ankle-deep water as they smiled and watched their
family laugh and play. The gravity
of the moment hit me when I remembered back to the night before, when the
couple had recounted their story of escape from Congo to us at the dinner
table. Here they were, eleven
years after they were separated, certain one another were dead, standing on a
beach together, on their way to a better life, watching the children they love
laugh, play, and live life to the full.
It was heavenly.
Before long, we were back on the road. We had only a short three-hour drive
north to their new home, Lewiston, Maine.
All the prayers, financial support, and planning were finally coming to
fruition! We pulled into Lewiston
around five o’clock Saturday evening.
It is a charming little town with cool architecture and a picturesque
river running through the heart of town.
I thanked God as I thought about the different life Lewiston afforded my
little buddy David and his family.
I will spare you all the details of our last two hours
together. I will simply say this:
we cried, we prayed, we cried some more, we said we loved each other, I made a
teary-eyed promise to fly up on my fall break, and we eventually stopped
hugging long enough to get out the front door and drive off.
As we drove away from the family I love, the tears kept
coming. I was overwhelmed at the
thought that I couldn’t be there for them anymore. I would soon be 1300 miles away back home in Nashville, and
I couldn’t simply run across town to take them to the doctor’s office or buy
some diapers. And then, a few miles down the
road, it hit me: I was never the one controlling the Omasombos’ fate. I didn’t have anything to do with them
miraculously escaping the turmoil of their native Congo, and I didn’t have
anything to do with them getting from Congo to Nashville. God was always the one in control; He
just let me have a front-row seat to watch His love unfold in what He was doing in the Omasombos’ lives
over the past year. He let me play
a part in His greater story, and (at least for now) the time has come for me to
step back and trust that He will continue to protect and bless their family
just like He has always done.
In the same way, each one of you has played an integral part
in God’s plan for the Omasombos.
Your prayers, financial support, and encouragement have been a constant
reminder of God’s goodness. We
literally would not have made it to Lewiston without you. In all, we were able to give the
Omasombos just over $8,000.00 after travel expenses for the trip. There lives are on a completely
different path than they were six weeks ago because of your generosity and God’s
provision.
From the bottom of my heart, and on behalf of the entire
Omasombo family,
Thank you.
Habakkuk 1:5 "Look at the nations and
watch--and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your
days that you would not believe, even if you were told."
Sincerely,
Tee Hassold
P.S. We will continue to update the blog with updates on the
Omasombos and their lives in Maine.
The money raised on the blog over the last few weeks puts them in a
great position to start their new lives, but we will continue to operate the
PayPal link in hopes that more people will donate and we can continue to
support their family. As always,
we appreciate your financial support and spreading the word to family and
friends who you think might be interested in supporting the Omasombos.
