Homesick?

"Are you homesick yet?" "Are you ready to come back?" "When are you coming back?"

Maybe it depends on your definition of "homesick" but we don't really feel that we've experienced homesickness yet. Don't get us wrong, we miss our family, friends, church, and comforts of a life and surroundings familiar to us.  With all of our back and forth travel to the states over the last year, we have longed be in Macedonia without HAVING to leave and to be able to settle in and actually be here for more than four month at a time.

Perhaps it's because we've made multiple, unexpected trips to the U.S., or because we enjoyed summer visits from Alicia's sisters and we talk to our family/friends weekly, or maybe, hopefully, it's because Skopje has become home for us. Sometimes it's the simplest thing that make us feel "at home" here:

•  We each have a "regular" at our favorite restaurant.
• We have our favorite vendors in the green markets.
• The barista at the indoor playground knows how I like my cappuccino.
• Locals we interact with daily recognize the progress we are making in language.
• Visiting a different region of Macedonia and still running across someone we know.

More often, Skopje is home because of the community God has blessed us with here and the reminders we experience:

• Walking through "old town," running into someone we know, and chatting in the street.
• We are plugged in with a local church where we can worship, fellowship, and serve.
• Walking through the mall and our 4 year old runs into one of his school friends.
• Celebrate births and birthdays with our new friends and living life together.

Don't worry, we know that homesickness will come and that we'll eventually be ready for a visit to the U.S., though we hope that won't be for a while. On the rough days, we know that our family and friends, both in the U.S. and here in Macedonia, will support and encourage us. What an amazing feeling it is to know that you have family, friends, and partners on both sides of the world!