The Fishers in La Paz, Bolivia

My friend Kerri, whose family we visited this Christmas, pointed out in a recent comment how strange it is to one day be playing Settlers of Catan at their dining room table in Ohio and then, just a few weeks later, to be chatting across two continents and to be suddenly in such a different life.

But that’s just the thing: I am noticing that both just seem to fit. Both Bolivia and the U.S. are our life.

I mean, how odd is it that we can be – literally and figuratively – back at home in North Carolina; and then, in the course of a day, pack up our lives in six duffel bags and travel halfway around the world and be… um… home?

Gone are the days when we would fear every restaurant (we know what to avoid; now we have favorites and Avery has her “usual” at several cafes); no longer does the Sunday thrill ride in the taxi to church scare us (we know that stop lights are optional on Sundays); Anne can give directions to taxi guys with the best of ‘em; Avery has best friends; Tom knows how to shop in the “black market”; our apartment has become game-night-central, church sanctuary, hang out and so much more.

When all is said and done, I guess this is a gift from the Lord: an ability to be home, even farther away from home than you ever thought you’d be. The normal, the mundane in unexpected places, is a surprise blessing from on high. Praise the Lord and pass the api.