And We're Off!!!

Friday!  We leave Friday to begin the next chapter of adventures.  5 planes and two weeks later we expect to arrive in Addis Ababa.  We still don't know where we are going to stay when we arrive, a temporary residence somewhere, but I expect by July 6th we will move into a more permanent home in Addis and this will complete our 11th move by our 11th anniversary.  Whew, Sean warned me that MKs have a hard time staying in one place:)  Now we are raising our own MKs and they are already showing the signs of transition, some regression but amazing resilience as we are moving out of our home in Bonney Lake.

Unexpected Blessings-I had no idea how much I needed to be back "home" for these months.  As a Washington girl there was something God knew that I needed.  He blessed me with this time here.  I keep telling people "it is so EASY to be here".  Actually I say it in a dumbfounded way, like; I had no idea how easy it would be here! (Despite that it was an unexpected detour and we did not know how long it would last and we came here with only 3 suitcases for our family a year ago)...But I understand the culture without trying.  I can go to the store, or invite people over, or just be in my house without thinking much about it. When I am outside of my culture, so much more energy goes towards trying to figure out who I am, where I am going, how I am suppose to fit in... As an introvert meeting new people is like running a marathon inside and when I have to do that every day it is really hard.  DC was especially hard because I was pregnant for half of the time there, and trying to figure out the culture of motherhood at the same time.  Here I can stay in my house all day and the people I've known my whole life come to me.  I can breathe peaceful fresh air and see the mountains or the ocean without more than a stroll outside, I love it!

So WHY is God calling ME, a girl who spent her whole life until the age of 22, in Washington state, across the world?  It's easy to see why Sean is called there. He is good at it.  He is really good at meeting new people, and jumping right in to new cultures, and for goodness sake he is leading the World's largest water campaign ever attempted, to bring clean water to millions of people.  It's pretty clear why God wants him there.  He's amazing, God shines through him, and He LOVES his work.  He will always work hard and I am excited to see him working up close in a place HE loves.  I think living in Africa with Sean will let me see a whole new side of him and that is exciting in and of itself: - But me?

God also made me with the itch....Change is growth I use to say a lot in college. I studied psychology because I love figuring out people, and cultures is just another, bigger challenge. So once I started seeing new places, it was hard for me to stop.  In the 6 years before I met Sean I traveled on my own to Germany, Switzerland, France, Mexico twice, Puerto Rico, Honduras and then moved to Chicago for grad school.  So when Sean says; you want to move to Africa? Remember when we met and you said you wanted to live if Africa?  Do you think our kids would want to move to Africa? (he can be a little persistent, a bit like a wall you crash into every day) I say, right now? Where will I get the energy to figure out the culture AND raise kids?  But in the end I say yes because life is short and I want to do this too.  And I am excited.  AND mostly I have evidence that God is leading us there so clearly.  HE's got us and I can trust that it is the best place in the world for our family.

One more thing: Last month I went to a Christian Psychology conference and the theme was Cross Cultural Care and Counsel and several presenters basically suggested that one's culture, not an individual's own emotions, behaviors and cognition is at the center of understanding self.  Hmmm something to think about...Most people think of culture as an outside characteristic of who they are.  For example if you meet new people and ask them to tell you about themselves they might list of a whole gamut of characteristics, one of them being the culture they are from.  But what if it's more than our individual emotions, behaviors and cognition's, rather our culture, our worldview and ethos that we are in the midst of that determines who we are at the core...I am interested in this.  I want to think about it more and how western thought and culture is changing the world.  I am about to largely step out of this culture.  How will it change me?  How will my kids be affected?  How will Caleb and Eli feel knowing they look like the people around them, but inside they will feel American, not Ethiopian?  How will this affect the kingdom of God?  What is Christian culture, and what is following Christ?  I am leaving with more questions than answers on this journey, clinging more tightly to my savior than ever, and begging Him help me hold my children during this massive earthquake He called our family to, relocating to two of my son's beautiful birth land; the ancient land that is mentioned at least 45 times in the bible, where the queen of Sheba once reigned, Ethiopia.  .