Part memoir, part faith journey—these stories in You Are the Needle and I Am the Thread span twenty-five years of a Foreign Service family’s life as they live and work in Pakistan, Egypt, Bangladesh, and Indonesia, as well as Washington, DC. They detail the joys and challenges of raising children overseas, the fears preceding the outbreak of the Gulf War and evacuation, and the frustrations of separation when Pamela’s husband is sent to Afghanistan.
You Are the Needle and I Am the Thread chronicles Pamela and her husband’s journey as they seek to follow God’s will, from their early decision to join the United States Agency for International Development to retirement and beyond. The stories, many of which were published in The Foreign Service Journal, recount the serendipity of life in the developing world. Walk in the footsteps of Moses, Alexander the Great, and Genghis Khan; explore bazaars like the Khan el Khalili in Cairo; trail tigers in the Sundarbans in Bangladesh; and stumble over cultural pitfalls while interacting with the locals and conducting business where life is anything but normal. Experience the heartbreak of end-of-life issues with elderly parents and the anguish of their sons’ medical emergencies. Discover, like Pamela, that home is where the United States Government sends you.
