The family I was born into and have grown up with for the past twenty-five years will always hold a special and significant place in my heart. It was painfully difficult to leave them, knowing I was forsaking everything I have known and the place where I felt comfortable and safe. At the same time, God has taken me away from them for these 11 months, and in turn given me a new family in Christ.
When we came to Ecuador and Peru, we did not get introduced to a set of in-country contacts; we got grafted into families. The culture here is extremely tight-knit and family-oriented. Nevertheless, we have been warmly welcomed into homes and adopted by some of the most warm, humble people I have ever met. Our host families have shown us love and hospitality within hours of meeting us, and have continued to serve us in incredible ways.
my team with our host families in Ecuador
I grew up with one sister, who means a lot to me, and never knew what it was to have a brother. In joining this squad, I now have 34 sisters and 14 brothers! All of these are people who will pray with me, talk with me, and fight for me. In addition, we have squad coaches who affectionately call themselves our Squad Father and Squad Momma. I had the privilege of seeing them during debrief, and they unconditionally love us and believe in us although they barely know us.
The most difficult thing about leaving home was parting with my nieces and nephews. I am extremely close to them and enjoy being around for all the big and small moments of family life. Yet in each country, God has given me the opportunity to care for and bond with children. Not that they could ever replace the special place my nephews and nieces have in my heart, but it does make the separation easier when I have lots of precious little ones to love!
I am re-defining my concept of home as being pretty much anywhere we stay for more than a day (sleeping on buses and in airports does not count!) I am expanding my horizons of family far beyond blood relatives. I am fairly certain that by the end of this trip I will have been adopted by families in 11 countries who would gladly welcome me back anytime. I am learning about my identity as a child of God, and in turn He is showing me how truly beautiful it is to belong to the body of Christ, a family of believers.
