The Grand Total...

Photo credit: clarita from morguefile.com

This past Saturday, we drove back down to Illinois from our last visit to Minnesota. And thus ended our road tripping year! Over these past 14 months, we have spent more time on the road than either of us have before. Many hours were spent listening to podcasts to keep us entertained. It's been an adventure to say the least.

Throughout the year, I was tracking two very important numbers. Here are the grand totals of our road tripping year... [drum roll please]

Unique beds we slept in (not including repeats): 50
Miles put on the car: 37,000

It's pretty amazing to look back on when we started this journey in July of 2011 and how far we've come since then. I look at the list of places we've stayed and think about how we were feeling at each stage of this journey. God has been so faithful to carry us through, especially during the times when we were road weary and we missed having a place to call home. Even though it's been hard to be "nomadic", we wouldn't change any of it. We have grown and processed and learned so much as we've driven 37,000 miles and slept in 50 beds. We believe God will use all of these lessons that we've learned when we arrive in Austria. He is faithful!

Where are you from?

Photo credit: clarita from morguefile.com

It's getting harder to respond. How should I answer? Do they really want to know the complexities of our life right now...or are they just being polite? Should I just say Chicago or Connecticut because it's easier? Or should I delve into our whole, long story and our nomadic lifestyle?

Nowadays, when I meet someone new and they ask me, "Where are you from?", I pause. And the monologue above runs through my head. As time goes on and we become more and more nomadic, I recognize that this common, polite question is becoming more difficult to answer. Sometimes, I feel like I'm still from Chicago, because I spent the last 10 years living there and that is the only place where Nate and I have had a home together. But then after moving back to Connecticut for the last 5 months, I've reconnected with my feelings of home in New England. I would love to say that Vienna is home, but of course, that won't be a reality for quite some time.

In reality, none of these places can be called "home", at least in the traditional sense of the word. Until we settle and make a home for ourselves, we will continue to live in limbo. This can be a difficult "land between" to experience, but there are also great blessings. For one, when someone asks me that question, it immediately opens the door for me to share with them about the step Nate and I are taking. And God has used that conversation in many exciting ways, from opportunities to share the gospel to opportunities to connect with fellow believers about missions. Secondly, being without a home helps me identify with others who share this experience. There are many refugees living in this country and in Vienna that have been displaced, are in transition, and don't have a home. For the first time, I know what that feels like, at least in some small way. And many MKs (missionary kids) I know feel the same way, being torn between the country they grew up in and the country of their ethnic origin. These questions are hard to answer for them, too.

I may not know where I'm from anymore, but I do know where I am going. I will continue to live in the "land between", eagerly anticipating the day when we will have a home and thanking God for all of the temporary homes He is providing along the way!

Note: This post was inspired by Sheryl O'Bryan and her post here.

No place to call home...

It's official. Two weeks ago, we moved out of our apartment and into a nomadic life. We packed the essential items into our car, and the rest of the things we kept (and did not sell) are in permanent storage in a friend's basement. We are unemployed, homeless and wandering!

To be honest, I was pretty nervous about this transition as it drew closer. I have never experienced such a life of transition and this will be a very new experience in our marriage, no longer have a place of our own. I am looking forward to having the opportunity to see many friends and family, and I enjoy having a flexible schedule. However, I know that this year of preparation for Austria will be challenging. I know that I will miss having a home and having the privacy we had before. I will probably get tired of sleeping in other people's beds and living out of a suitcase. I will miss having consistency and normalcy. I will miss having my own kitchen and a stocked pantry to cook from. And I will be challenged as I depend on others more than I ever have as an adult, accepting generosity that will surely make me uncomfortable at times (and already has).

I know this year will be hard, but there is no way I can predict how it will be hard. So how do I prepare to face these challenges, when they are so unknown?

I know I need to pray and seek the Lord fervently as I prepare and begin this new lifestyle. He does not change and will be our constant during all this transition. But that is easier said than done.

If you are reading this, please pray for us as we venture into this new life!

How do you prepare for difficult times you know are ahead?