We have been back in Germany for about three weeks now and are enjoying all the comforts this country has to offer:
- Supermarkets where you can be in and out within half an hour including all the groceries you need for the week (although we rarely manage to be in and out that quickly because there is so much to see and choose from!)
- Italian ice cream parlors!
- Beautiful parks and playgrounds and circuses and museums and lots of fun things to do
- Grandparents that are happy to babysit
- Good quality shoes and clothes for all of us
- The change in climate and food and scenery
- Sunday worship services at our church with more than just three or four others to worship with
We have had time to just relax and rest and spend time as a family which has been good as our last month or so before leaving was busy and emotionally intense. When we arrived we were just plain exhausted but are feeling more rested now.
As much as I enjoy being here I also feel once again how fragmented my life is and that essentially there is no place where I really belong. We don't REALLY belong there because our life still is so different no matter how hard we try to adjust and adapt and live like everyone else. But we also don't belong here, in Germany. And so we are in limbo most of the time.
I have been reading Psalm 84 on and off these last few weeks where it says: Blessed are those who have set their heart on pilgrimage. And in the end we are all just visitors on earth, destined for a different and eternal home. And as my heart is on pilgrimage, I guess my earthly life is as well and home is always where your heart is. As Bono said.
Now it's down to just two days till we get to meet our new little guy on Tuesday and we are excited and looking forward to this new addition. Even though I enjoy being pregnant and feeling the Baby move around inside me it will be so much better to finally KNOW him and to get to hold him!
On another note, despite the many great aspects of this country and all the comforts it is heart breaking to daily read in the newspaper how people treat each other. When we were here two years ago the reports seemed to be all about child abuse and parents killing their children. Now the stories report stabbings everywhere. Or so it seems. With more and more children being raised by the government rather than their parents and more and more violence being shown on TV what else can you expect? But it does make me sad to see this society deteriorating and to know that it's probably the same (or maybe even worse) everywhere else.
It challenges me to be the salt and light that Jesus has called all of us to be.
