Missing the old...

I got an email from a friend in Slovakia. He got married back in March and was sending along the pictures from his wedding, as well as an update about what he and his lovely bride are up to.

I met up with a friend last night to discuss where we are as a church in terms of short term missions trips and next steps to establishing direction and policy. She asked where I am in terms of pursuing my desires to be part of Eastern Europe. To be honest, I'm stuck.

I love Eastern Europe. My friend in Slovakia was one of many folks I met on a trip to Romania almost 10 years ago now, and it's really great that we're still in touch. Because I've lived in and traveled around Europe for many years, I have other friends I'm trying to keep up with. I feel alive in ways I don't living here in the States.

At the same time, one of the things my church is trying to encourage is embracing other cultures and learning from them. As much as I'm multiculturally attuned in Europe, going to Haiti has far expanded my understanding of who people are and how God lives among them. I had no idea how limited my understanding of God and culture actually was!

So, I'm stuck. I love Europe. I love many things about Europe. Always have, always will. But I'm starting to love the rest of the world too. I'm intrigued by the culture of Haiti and want to understand it through experience. I would love to branch out from there and visit other parts of the world (Indiana Jones ain't my hero just for nothing!).

I will always miss Europe. But here's to new adventures in the bigger, broader world...