“Home is where the heart is.”
These 11 months on the World Race I have wrestled with this idea of HOME. I have always felt a call to be a missionary, a deep aching desire to live in a country that is not my own and to love the people there. But with that comes the great possibility that I will never truly have a HOME. So how do I find that? Where do I get that from? This year I have discovered one important lesson when it comes to this idea of HOME:
My home is in Jesus!
My heart cries out for him. My soul longs for him. And I love him with all my heart, soul, and mind. I live my life according to his will. I love by his call on my life. I find my home in his abiding Spirit. So if I live my life completely devoted to this love then wherever I am is home. I think that is what that saying is talking about “Home is where the heart is.” But I think I’d change it to “Home is where Jesus is!”
I have been to 11 countries in 11 months, and I have found my HOME in each and every one of those countries! So let me tell you about my home.
Guatemala: I found my home in the little girl I worked with at the special needs school in Quiche, Guatemala. She was wheelchair bound, had a weakened body from years of malnourishment, had a determination to learn, and sang with such a pure beauty. Her father would pick up her and her brother, who was also wheelchair bound, from school, and just the love that radiated from him completely changed my heart. He loved his children with the purest, most unconditional love that I have never seen. They were poor. They were dirt poor, but he showed up with a smile and a laugh and gave every teacher a hug and a kiss, telling us thank you for taking care of his children. And the day my team and I came back to our home to find the boy and father in our yard, trying out his new wheelchair, I had a new understanding of Jesus and of Home. Jesus loves his children just like that father. He takes us into his arms with overflowing Joy, and a laugh, no matter how broken we are. He welcomes us home in his love through little acts of kindness to say “Look, I’ve still got you!” So I found home in Quiche, Guatemala. (if you would like to real the full story about that boy, Joel, you can follow this link: http://annadubnow.theworldrace.org/?filename=he-makes-the-lame-man-walk)
Nicaragua: I found my home in the Dumps of Granada, Nicaragua. In my month in Granada we visited a dump and gave them a meal. The dump lies at the foot of a volcano, and near the edge of a lake. Dozens of people work there, digging through the rubbish, trying to find pieces that are salvageable so that they can sell it for whatever purpose. As they lined up to get their food I looked up and God just whispered in my ear “These are my children whom I love. With them I am well pleased.”……… Jesus doesn’t care what clothes we wear. He doesn’t care what kind of job we have. He doesn’t care how broken we are, he loves us, and we are his. I felt an overwhelming sense of joy and peace, and HOME when God told me that. He showed me that even when we as children are at the lowest of low, he still cares for us, and we can still find home in Him and his love! (If you would like to read more about my experience in Nicaragua follow this link: http://annadubnow.theworldrace.org/?filename=nicaragua-these-are-my-children-whom-i-love)
Philippines: I found my home in Quezon City, Philippines. In the Philippines I lived with an organization called Wipe Every Tear, a christian ministry that rescues girls from sex trafficking and gives them a free education, a house to live in, and three meals a day. They offer them a chance at new life, a chance at freedom and joy and redemption. The minute I stepped into that house, I felt at Home! The girls who live there welcomed us with open arms as if we were their long lost sisters. The love and joy I received from that house I have never felt anywhere else. We even drove up to the bars where these girls came from and talked to more sisters who were stuck in sex trafficking, to bring them home with us. It was a beautiful thing to be apart of, to be where God is truly rescuing his children, and where Jesus is moving in a tangible way! Those girls became my sisters in such a short amount of time, and the Philippines will forever remain in my heart! (if you would like to read more about my experience at Wipe Every Tear follow these links: http://annadubnow.theworldrace.org/?filename=its-all-worth-it-for-1-girl-out-of-15745, http://annadubnow.theworldrace.org/?filename=i-will-always-remember-the-philippines-pt-1, http://annadubnow.theworldrace.org/?filename=i-will-always-remember-the-philippines-pt-1, http://annadubnow.theworldrace.org/?filename=i-will-always-remember-the-philippines-pt-3, http://annadubnow.theworldrace.org/?filename=home-is-where-the-heart-is)
Thailand: I found my home in Phang Nga, Thailand. In Chiang Mai, a city a 24 hour bus ride from Phang Nga, as a team we lit lanterns and sent them into the sky as a sign of new beginnings! This is something I’ve dreamed of doing for years and God granted my wish in an awesome way. In Phang Nga we worked at a church in a town in the southern part of Thailand near Phuket. There we hosted an English/Christmas camp at two schools. The first school was 100% Muslim. There we taught them about the birth of Jesus, and we were allowed to be open and honest about it, without facing opposition from the Muslim teachers! Wow! The second school was 100% Buddhist. There it was the same story. And these children responded so well to us and our stories and really truly wanted to know more! Phang Nga, as a town, was beautiful! I fell in love with the rubber tree farms, and the strange looking hills and rock formations! The sea was right there and we swam in the crystal clear waters! I found home in the love of Jesus’ creation! (If you would like to read more about my time in Thailand follow this link: http://annadubnow.theworldrace.org/?filename=at-last-i-see-the-light)
Cambodia: I found my home in Pnom Penh, Cambodia. There we worked at a home called Bykota House, a children’s home created by an American family. I worked with four children with special needs, doing physical therapy with them every day. I found my home through the love that I experienced with them. I saw Jesus every time Hope laughed. I saw Jesus every time Tedah rolled toward me on the floor. I saw Jesus every time Tina gave me her sweet sweet smile. I saw Jesus every time that Sammy finally played with a toy I handed him. Jesus loves his little children, no matter who they are, what they’ve been through, or if they’re “normal” or not. He loves them no more and no less. He gave me the gift of those children that month as a little sense of belonging and home. (If you would like to read more about my time in Cambodia follow this link: http://annadubnow.theworldrace.org/?filename=his-love-is-enough)
Nepal: I found my home in Urlabari, Nepal. I almost cried when I got off the plane in Kathmandu, Nepal and felt the chilly air. I have not been home for the winter in 3 years! I have been in countries or states where winter is not a thing, and the weather is the same year round. I miss seasons more than anything, and God gave me the sweet gift of mountains and extremely cold weather in Nepal! I almost cried from Joy. Then we got to Ulabari, a tiny town in the very east of Nepal, where we lived in an orphanage sitting in the middle of corn fields. The views were breathtaking! We hiked up into the mountains and lived in a tiny tiny TINY village in the mountains for a week, bathing in the freezing cold river, sat by a campfire every single day and night, and camped out in a tent! It was a month of refreshment and God gave me a pure sense of home! I felt like I had made it where I belonged. I found an intimacy with Jesus that I didn’t have before. Nepal was amazing! (If you would like to read more about my time in Nepal follow this link: http://annadubnow.theworldrace.org/?filename=kneepal)
India: I found my home in Hyderabad, India. I worked at Sarah’s Covenant Homes in Hyderbad, India, a home for orphaned children with special needs. On my first day I saw this little baby girl, and I knew right away that she was mine. God gave me the love of a child. He showed me what it means to love someone as your own, to love someone with the love of Jesus. All month I got to hold that baby girl. I got to spend hours of the day with her, just in my arms, showing her love that she never would have gotten if it weren’t for SCH. I got to fall in love with another human being. I know what it feels like to lay my life down for another. She was my home. She is my home. She lives forever in my heart and my mind, and I will hold her again in my arms one day, because that is where she belongs. (If you would like to read more about my time in India follow this link: http://annadubnow.theworldrace.org/?filename=love-at-first-sight)
Swaziland: I found my home in Manzini, Swaziland. While I was there I coached volleyball for the local children in the village. It felt so good to be active and doing sports again. It felt great to mentor and walk alongside some teens who don’t get a lot of encouragement in their life. God gave me that gift. I found my home with those kids as I watched them fail and succeed, and walked with them. (If you would like to read more about my time in Africa follow this link: http://annadubnow.theworldrace.org/?filename=my-comforter)
Botswana: I found my home in Seronga, Botswana. I lived on a Delta. I slept in a tent feet away from Hippos. I walked in a village where the homes were made of mud and had grass roofs. I had no internet. But I found a family. The Booyse’s welcomed us into their home and said that “you are now a part of our family.” and they treated us like that! They took us in and loved us. The example they set as a family who strives for God first was incredible and inspiring! I learned so much from the love they showed us and how I want to see my future family live! I found my home in the home of the Booyse’s. I found my home in their care and the love I felt in Seronga, Botswana. (If you would like to see more about this month and ministry follow this link to watch this video made by three of my teammates about our month: https://www.facebook.com/ethwad27/videos/10153653283676754/?pnref=story)
Montenegro: I found my home in Kotor, Montenegro. I lived in Paradise! A little oasis! As I stood on the beach, and watched the sun rising over the mountains in the distance, and reflecting on the ocean at my feet, I felt the peace of God wash over me. He told me that this was my honeymoon with him. It was glorious!! I went on adventures, climbed walls, worshipped in an abandoned church, sang songs of praise to Him, drank coffee at cafes, had conversations with strangers, swam with bioluminescent plankton, I had wonderful, uplifting conversations with friends, ate lots of pizza, had to step out in boldness in many ways! Montenegro was a wild month with God of finding my place in him, and it was wonderful! I found my home and my love for Jesus forever! (If you would like to read more about my time in Montenegro follow this link: http://annadubnow.theworldrace.org/?filename=my-honeymoon-in-montenegro, and http://annadubnow.theworldrace.org/?filename=the-ultimate-trust-fall)
Ukraine: I found my home in L’viv, Ukraine. This month God literally brought me home! My great-grandparents were Ukrainian Jews who immigrated to America around 1906. They were from two towns on the East side of Ukraine, but our family name, Dubnow, came from an ancestor who was a Rabbi in the Ukrainian town of Dubno. When I walked onto the soil of Ukraine I felt a peace, a belonging, and a sense of home. Then we met our contacts. An amazing family from America, named the Blessings. Yes that was their name and they were a blessing! We walked into their home and Jewish representation was everywhere! And that first night, the night I came back to the land of my ancestors, I celebrated Shabbat! A Jewish remembrance of the sabbath day of the Lord! God brought me to my roots, he brought me home to where I started, to show me that he has carried me through this year, that he has given me everything in my life for a reason! I was born into a Ukrainian Jewish heritage, so that I could have a fire and a passion for people! I found an interest in history when I was very young, but more importantly an interest in Holocaust history, where millions of MY people died!! Last month in Ukraine I journeyed to Poland to see Auschwitz, the most famous Death Camp during the Nazi regime, where countless numbers of people were murdered! I went to the ghetto and death camp in L’viv, Ukraine! I found a righteous sorrow and desire for justice in my heart that I didn’t know was there! God brought me home to show me that he created me exactly who I am for HIS greater good! He gave me such a rich family background for HIS glory! Because of where I come from, I have a desire in me to fight for others! I have a strong fierce compassion in my heart for the lowest of lows and the persecuted people in this world!! I found my home in the place where I began! (If you would like to read more about my time in Ukraine, and most importantly about the current conflict there, follow this link: http://annadubnow.theworldrace.org/?filename=pray-for-ukraine)
This year I traveled to 11 different countries, and somehow in the process I found myself and I found my place! My place is in Jesus! My home resides in him, and no matter where I am in this world I am always home as long as I seek him and all that he has for me! Thank you so much for coming along with me on this Journey! Its a bittersweet end, as I look back on everything that has happened this year, the good the bad and the ugly, my heart sings for those memories but it also feels burdened to say goodbye! Its been real, really REAL, and now I have to turn the page to go onto the next chapter of my story! So see you on the flip side! God Bless!
