I have to confess the loneliness that comes with living in a foreign country. It could be that now that I am going through something that usually bring gatherings of friends and family, I am feeling this separation more acutely. I woke up feeling sad today. Sad that we are so far away from home. Sad that I left my home country over eight years ago, and with that I have missed out on eight years of life with my parents, my brothers, my childhood friends.
Something I learned very quickly when we decided to become missionaries, is that friends and relationships are, for lack of a better word, “transitional.” We were missions majors in college so many of our class mates are scattered around the globe. People come and go. We throw ourselves into making significant relationships with people, knowing that soon we will be saying goodbye. Of course in today’s world we can skype and email. It’s not like I have to wait for a slow boat to China for news from home. But still in the day to day being without the familiarity of the smell of your mother’s hug, or the reassurance of your father’s smile, or the comfort of your best friend’s acceptance can just make you feel homesick.
When I decided to become a missionary almost ten years ago, I was in the North of Namibia staying with Peter and Ursula De Villiers, they have been working in the North for many many years. I was thinking about everything they had left behind, and I was wondering how they could do it. I was reminded of Matthew 19:2