We’re BAA-AACK!

Most of you know Dustin and I have been living in Israel for the past three years. But you may not know that we just moved back to the US two weeks ago. It’s a bit premature, since our plan was five years. We didn’t leave because of job hardships: honestly, our gig in Jerusalem was one of the best, and with some of the most quality people I’ve ever known. And they let us go with their blessing. (We already miss you, Israel fam!). We didn’t leave to chase a job opportunity, even though there are a few. We left for a number of reasons, the main one being our heart for family.

I think being away has really showed us where our values lie. Dustin and I have always highly valued family life. It’s one of the things that made me fall in love with Dustin—how much he loves, values, and depends on his family.

The past few years we became aware of the passing ages of our older relatives, aware of how difficult it is to connect from across the ocean, aware of how fast my nieces and nephews are growing. I want to be there for them. These are the people God gave us; true gifts. And while I’m sure everyone who moves overseas feels this same pull, there just didn’t seem to be a grace for us to overcome it and stay out there. The feeling only grew and grew over time.

I, myself, have lived quite disconnected from my family in the past decade. They’re all spread out in the states and Canada these days and it’s a rare gift to have us all together. And I’ve lived very disconnected from my extended family for most of my life. That’s also because we moved from Canada when I was young. I would like to remedy that.

The old adage is true; you never know what you have until it’s gone. I see now how truly blessed I am. Let’s get together, fam!

Nick--what a guy! He brought us to the Ben Gurion Airport and waited with us at 4am until we got to security.

Dustin with half our stuff, waiting for our ride when we landed in Chicago.