It's a question I dread whenever I'm in a new place, meeting new people. I know that sooner or later someone will ask, "Where's home for you?" It seems like it should be so simple, just a straightforward one- or two-word answer, like "Chicago" or "New York", but I often find myself hesitating, because for me the answer is not so simple.
Mind you, I'm not offended when people ask me. I appreciate this sort of getting-to-know-you small talk that always happens when you first meet someone, and I'm happy to engage in it. It isn't their fault that I'm not sure how to answer.
The difficulty is not so much that I don't have a home. I have too many of them. It really ought to be a multiple choice question:
(A) AustraliaMind you, I'm not offended when people ask me. I appreciate this sort of getting-to-know-you small talk that always happens when you first meet someone, and I'm happy to engage in it. It isn't their fault that I'm not sure how to answer.
The difficulty is not so much that I don't have a home. I have too many of them. It really ought to be a multiple choice question:
(B) USA (with three or four several possible options within the US...)
(C) Chad
(D) All of the above
(E) None of the above
I'd like to answer (D), except that doesn't really answer the question "where are you from?" very well. It's just so hard to choose between my different options...
(A) Australia
As most of you know, I'm an MK: my parents were missionaries in Australia for 36 years. If you know much about MKs, you know that we are usually pretty confused about where we are from, and I'm no exception. Growing up in Australia, I loved the country deeply, and I still do. It is a beautiful and fascinating land, with lovely people living in a fun-loving, laid-back culture. It's been fifteen years since I left Australia to go to Bible college in America, but I still feel so comfortable in Australia, and I look forward to those rare occasions when I can visit it again (ah, if only Australia wasn't so far away from everything!). Yes, even after all these years, Australia is still home.(B) USA
Although I've spent less than a third of my life in America, I haven't forgotten that I have an American heritage. Actually, my first ancestors came to the US nearly 400 years ago. I myself lived in America for about ten years. I have enjoyed being able to experience the incredible variety of America, from the rugged shores of Maine to the quiet farming communities of Iowa. America is a pretty neat place, and in spite of all my traveling, America is home to me too - though I'm still not sure which state to claim as my own! Iowa, Indiana, Maine, and Michigan are the main contenders. Oh well, they are all still within the USA!
(C) Chad
I've been in Chad for nearly four years: not that long compared to all the years I spent in America and Australia, but I have grown to love Chad. It took me more than two years before I really felt like it was my home, but now that I am on the verge of going back to it, I do feel like I'm going home.If you look at the statistics, Chad is on the worst end of nearly all of them: harsh climate, extreme poverty, poor education system and infrastructure, lots of tropical diseases, and surrounded by some of the most politically volatile countries on the continent. It sounds like a terrible place to live. But what the statistics cannot tell you is the warmth and hospitality of the Chadian people, all their cheerful smiles and resilience in spite of physical hardship. Nor can the statistics explain how when God calls you to a place, He can give you a love for both the place and the people who are there. So yes, Chad is indeed home for me.
(D) All of the Above
So, to go back to the original question, just which of these places really is home for me? When I'm asked, usually the easiest response is to first ask the person what they mean by "home": Are they referring to where I grew up? Where my parents live? Where I'm based while on furlough in the USA? Or where I spend most of my time?... When we have established that, then I can go on to offer a reasonably intelligent (and relatively short) answer.But if you want to know which place I personally consider to be home, I'd say that home is wherever God puts me, whether that be Australia, America, Africa, or anywhere else that He may choose to place me. For now, that is Chad (and I hope it will be so for a good while yet; there is still a lot of work to be done there!). But if He should see fit to move me somewhere else someday, I trust that He will give me the grace to call that place "home" as well.
(E) None of the Above
Let us not forget that we who know the Lord are all strangers and pilgrims on the earth. No earthly home lasts forever. Only when He takes us to the home He has prepared for us will we truly be "home".And in the meantime, maybe it's not so bad that my answer to the question "where is home for you?" is rather complicated. At least it makes for a good conversation starter!
