A letter from Sue and Ted Wright in Zambia
October 31, 2009
Dear Friends,
Ted and Sue Wright are settling in the Washington, D.C. area in November.
We write this to you on our last official day as mission co-workers of the PC(USA). The decision to leave Africa was a difficult one, but its rightness has been confirmed over and over. We leave with rich memories of four blessed years — and also with mixed feelings as we enter a new phase of our lives. It was so hard to say goodbye when we left Lusaka on August 18. Though our outbound flight left early in the morning, we were sent off by a group of dear friends. Sue choked back tears as she hugged people goodbye and promised to return someday.
During October we took part in PC(USA)’s World Mission Challenge ‘09. Over 40 mission workers fanned out across the country, spreading the good news of what God is doing in countries near and far with the help of our church. The Wrights were assigned to five presbyteries, spending a week at a time in each, speaking at churches and visiting with small groups. Though the travel was exhausting, we felt energized as we challenged congregations to adopt a mission worker through prayer, correspondence and financial contributions.;
Lusaka sunset.
We have been privileged to represent you in south central Africa, knowing without a doubt that your prayers and support have kept us in the “grace zone.” We knew we were never alone. Day after day, things worked out in remarkable ways, assuring us it was beyond coincidence. From that afternnon in the blazing sun between Zambia and Zimbabwe when the security system of our Land Cruiser malfunctioned to the morning when Ted preached the funeral service for Sarah, a 16-year-old who died after child birth, we know God went before us. The passionate spirituality of our African brothers and sisters has challenged our own faith walk. Please pray that we will not lose that perspective now that we are back in the land of big-box stores and super schedules.
Our final request is that you hold Nancy Collins and Doug Tilton before the Lord in your care. Nancy will be living in our former house at Justo Mwale Theological University College (Lusaka). The region we once served has since been realigned by the PC(USA): Nancy will be covering Zambia, Malawi, Rwanda and Kenya. Doug, based in Johannesburg, has now been assigned Zimbabwe and Mozambique in addition to his other countries. They are both wonderful people who have years of mission experience.
Our next stop, as most of you know, will be the Washington, D.C., area. On November 1, Ted will preach at Gaithersburg Presbyterian Church. After that, Lord willing, the congregation will approve, and we go north to Valley Falls, New York, to collect some furniture. We already have a Maryland address. We also have cell numbers: Sue (240) 595 2414 and Ted (240) 595 4511. Our email remains the same: wrightsafrica@gmail.com. We sincerely hope that if you are coming to our nation’s capital, you will look us up. One of our first priorites will be to set up a comfortable guest room.
While Ted returns to parish minstry, Sue plans to have both of her knees replaced in late January. During recuperation she will study for her social work licensing exam in order to be able to practice in Maryland. She is looking forward to getting back to being a therapist — or as she quips “getting paid for playing with peoples’ heads.”
For more than two months we have been living out of a suitcase — spending time with family, interpreting mission and preparing the way for our big change. We are ready to settle! Sue says, “You know you’ve been traveling too long when you wave your hands under a faucet and expect the water to come out.”
It was family that brought us home, and now we can affirm God’s hand in this. What a joy to participate in our son’s ordination on October 11 in Panther Valley, New Jersey! David is the pastor of a small ecumenical church near the Delaware Water Gap, not far from the Presbyterian camp where he worked for many summers. During the service, Ted gave the charges to both David and his congregation. David will reciprocate at Ted’s installation on December 6.
Our friend and composer, Gregory Norbet wrote a song: “Journeys Ended, Journeys Begun.” We thank you so much for journeying with us. May God bless you!
Faithfully, with love,
Ted and Sue
The 2009 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 43
