Before R and I moved to India, we committed to staying here for two years before going back to the States. Well, three weeks from today we will be leaving on a jet plane. To say we are excited is an understatement. We are counting the days! To be able to have our first baby in America with our family and friends all around does something amazing for this "mom-to-be" 's crazy heart!
However, R and I have both been experiencing some torn-ness we didn't quite expect. We have moved into a new house and love our new neighbors, we have been plugging along in language, and we finally have a sense of belonging here. Don't get me wrong, there are still up and down days, but something has clicked for us and we feel like this exactly where we are supposed to be. I wrote a blog post about HOME recently that talks a little about this. How strange it is that we feel like Texas is home and India is home. In a million ways, they are worlds apart, but we have given pieces of our hearts to people in both lands. When we are in India we long for Texas, and I am sure when we are in Texas we will long for India. I wonder if all people who live in such different cultures feel this way.
I know these last two years, living in India has stretched R and I, changed us, made us more compassionate, made us more angry, and perhaps made us skinnier than we have ever been before. But, right now, as I think about traveling to Texas in a few weeks, I feel grateful. Grateful to be going "home" to my country, my family and friends, my Tex-Mex food ;). Grateful that God has allowed us to live in a city where there are relatively no foreigners in a neighborhood full of Muslims who know more about hospitality than I could ever hope to learn. And most of all, grateful that we know and follow a God who is not just for one culture, or one people. His kingdom is made up of and continues to grow into a kingdom of people from every country, every language, and every beautiful skin color on this earth. So although my heart will always hurt when I am on the other side of the world from those I love, I'm grateful that this is the life God has given me.
However, R and I have both been experiencing some torn-ness we didn't quite expect. We have moved into a new house and love our new neighbors, we have been plugging along in language, and we finally have a sense of belonging here. Don't get me wrong, there are still up and down days, but something has clicked for us and we feel like this exactly where we are supposed to be. I wrote a blog post about HOME recently that talks a little about this. How strange it is that we feel like Texas is home and India is home. In a million ways, they are worlds apart, but we have given pieces of our hearts to people in both lands. When we are in India we long for Texas, and I am sure when we are in Texas we will long for India. I wonder if all people who live in such different cultures feel this way.
I know these last two years, living in India has stretched R and I, changed us, made us more compassionate, made us more angry, and perhaps made us skinnier than we have ever been before. But, right now, as I think about traveling to Texas in a few weeks, I feel grateful. Grateful to be going "home" to my country, my family and friends, my Tex-Mex food ;). Grateful that God has allowed us to live in a city where there are relatively no foreigners in a neighborhood full of Muslims who know more about hospitality than I could ever hope to learn. And most of all, grateful that we know and follow a God who is not just for one culture, or one people. His kingdom is made up of and continues to grow into a kingdom of people from every country, every language, and every beautiful skin color on this earth. So although my heart will always hurt when I am on the other side of the world from those I love, I'm grateful that this is the life God has given me.
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