My Bubbling Teapot

Not long ago, John asked me, “Is there anything you would like to do yet before we go back to Poland?” I thought for a little and said, “You know it would be so lovely if just you and I could spend a little time together alone.” Our trip has been wonderful in every way, although privacy is limited. Our family lives in a small apartment with room dividers, so snores can easily be heard from our sons’ rooms. After hours, John and I whisper and turn lights our early so we don’t disturb the children. So, maybe that is why I was thinking of a nice little getaway for just the two of us. We had been talking about our anniversary that is coming up soon on August 4. We had decided together that we would just go out for a nice dinner and enjoy the evening together. I continually talked about the restaurants that might be possibilities for our evening date. And then later, we were going to take a family trip for two nights close to Astoria. This, we had decided, would be how we would celebrate. B...

I have a question for you. I have been pondering this all month. Do missionaries get spoiled when they come on furlough? I was just reading the verse in Matthew where Jesus said that “to be first in the kingdom of God, you must be last and a servant to all.” That spoke to me. When I come to America, I feel so much like I’m the one being served all the time. When we set our feet on American soil, it’s like putting your feet up in a recliner for two months. I’ve noticed that everyone is at your beck and call. I have a bad habit of saying things without thinking, like, “Oh, wouldn’t I love to have this,” or “Wouldn’t this be something useful,” or “We can’t get this in Poland” or “Wow! I forgot that I missed malted milk balls” when I’m shopping with my family and friends and next thing I know these things are mysteriously appearing on our door step. I probably have a better collection of CD’s, books, peanut butter, chocolate chips, bubble bath, and Bath and Body Works lotion in Poland tha...

The top two questions that people have asked us in the past month has been: 1. How does it feel to be home again? 2. What is it like over there in Poland? The first question makes a knife turn in my heart. It makes me remember that I’m not even sure where my home really is. I love being here with family and friends, and being in my home state, but at the same time I have the horrible feeling of tears blurring my vision because I’m missing my home and friends in Poland. The second question makes me want to answer “Duh, it’s just like here,” but I know that would be a very rude answer, so I politely tell them about the climate, the land, and the people. Americans seem surprised that we can grow gardens just like here. They seem surprised that a lot of people have cars. They seem surprised that we have apples and cherries and strawberries and blueberries just like Oregon. I’m not sure where they think we live. Maybe the tropics or Antartica??? (and please, if you were one of the questio...