You’re My Home, Home, Home ...

Someone told me once that maybe we were sojourners.

Merrium-Webster says a sojourner is:

“A person who resides temporarily at a place.”

Breanna saw this restaurant in an airport and asked what a sojourner was. When I told her, she immediately said - “well that’s our family.” 

Somewhere in the world, in an airport. 

We have moved a lot in our life. Our kiddos have lived on 3 different continents!

I should have taken out stock in U-Haul! 

Our first home after moving back to Alabama from seminary. 

Our next home in Mississippi.

Our 3rd home when we moved back to AL from MS.

Home, by definition, is a permanent place where someone lives, specifically as a member of a family. 

Agreed. I generally think of home as a place. A house holding our little family. When my kids grow up and are asked where they are from, their answer will probably be different. Home might not be a physical place to them. They might say, “I don’t really know. I’m from all over” and then tell the stories of all the places they have lived and people they know. But what I really want is for my 3 kids to know the place they belong is with us. That no matter where we live, we are their home. I want them to know they are loved, they are seen, they are important, and they are safe wherever mom and dad are.  

It is hard and frustrating because sometimes you just want one place to be home. A place to create a haven away from the world. A secure spot that you know is always there for you where you can be yourself and let down your guard. A place to establish traditions and routines. We all want people and a place of belonging. We all need a place where we are known and loved in all our bad times and all our good times. We need a place to become. Fortunately, hearts are stretchy and are far reaching in the depths of love and belonging making it possible for many places and many people to be considered home. 

First home in Uganda.

Since moving overseas, I have had a few conversations with other expats about the word “home”. That word means a lot of different things to people. For people who move a lot, home is a place or multiple places. Home is a place and home is people. We learn to make home anywhere we are.

When we moved back from Uganda in 2020, I wanted to be “home”. Settled in one place. Making a haven, building in traditions and routines for our family. 

2021 came and I thought my word for the year was "rooted". I thought it was perfect! We were going to be "rooted" in this great house in a little town, with school, church, family, and friends. We had a million dreams for our life in the house and place. But then, surprise! His Voice Global called and we moved back to Uganda in August of 2021.

Rental home for a year when we returned from Uganda in 2020.
I couldn't find a photo of the front.

Current home in Uganda.

So instead of being rooted in a place, it was going to be learning how to be rooted in a Person. With that Person, came many other people and included the many places we had lived and will live. 

What I want learn to do is to make sure that home is mostly people. That no matter where we are, we can create home. We can have traditions and routines that are moveable and doable no matter where we live. I want to be able to incorporate more people into our traditions and routines. 

As we have lived this past year in another country, I have come to see that I want my kids to be rooted in Jesus. So that as we move them all over the world. As they leave friends and make new ones. As they leave their stuff and buy new stuff, as they miss their bedroom from their favorite house. I want them to be at home with Jesus. I am thankful He is with us wherever we go. That’s how we know we are home, where we He is, we are home. 

Jesus told us He was preparing a place for us. An eternal place where we will finally get to live next to all our people from all our places and we will never leave. 

Home for the next few months till we return to Uganda.

P.S. We cannot express how thankful we are for this church allowing us to live in their mission house for the next few months! 

P.P.S. These homes do not include the times we lived with family or friends or our 2 apartments in seminary! HA!