home

i think i'm feeling homesick. the problem is that i'm not entirely sure. i figure that's cause i'm not entirely sure where home is. i've lived in too many places. and i've learned so much in and from each place (about family, hospitality, friendship, myself, God, and more). and if i claim where i am now to be home, i feel like i'm rejecting my other 'homes' that i've loved and been welcomed. but Grand Rapids, too, has become one of the homes that i've loved and learned from. and i'll miss it and the the people here.

and as i start figuring out moving details, i hope to retain the good things that i've learned here. that they become part of the 'accent' of who I am. and that, just as the way i talk has retained a bit of an accent from each place I live, i retain some of the good things i've learned from each place as i move forward.

and i look forward to what new things i have to learn. i'm excited about Amsterdam and moving (back) to Europe. it helps that i've found somewhere to live. i discovered it online. i was searching for some kind of Christian community to live in. and through some random clicking (and obviously God's grace), i found Oudezijds 100. and knew that this is where i wanted to be. i'd get to participate in inner city ministry and be attached to a monastic community. just what i would have looked for before i even knew exactly what i was looking for. and the fact that the community is connected to a Frisian farm is just God's sense of humour. i guess i'm still amazed that they've said i can come live there. and i'm already homesick for it :)