Tis the season… To be homesick.

Allow me to apologize in advance, this entry is going to be all over the place.

Christianity in Japan is slowly growing, I do not know the specific numbers, but missions over here are slowly doing their job. Some churches have had life long members and others are conducting baptisms on a regular basis. One huge difference I notice in Japan, in regards to church, is that specific denominations do not argue with one another. It is hard to focus on the minor details of a specific denomination when the larger portion of your audience is hardly acquainted with this Christ fella. Although I recognize the importance of some of these differences, you have to lay the foundation first.

However, when we return to America these are issues that we are going to have to deal with again. Several of my colleagues are beginning to worry about their transitions back into American life and with this challenge comes the new dynamic of the ELCA church back home. Something that for the larger part of our mission here, has unaffected us in our daily work. However, I am constantly reminded by e-mails from Global Missions, and friends who are graduating seminary the difficulty of the church back home. People from my home congregation are leaving and finding else where to worship, Pastors are coming and going, and the “church family” I once had is slowly beginning to dissolve. This bothers me on several levels, but most of all because everyone will not be exactly where I left them 1 year ago. Things have changed.

Things are different. People have moved, friendships have dissolved, friendships have grown, loved ones have passed away, babies have been born and life continues to move right along.

The comforts of home do not always last, and this evening I find myself reminiscing with a friend online over the simple things of home. Right now the focus is on the fall season. We’ve discussed everything that we are homesick for, including but not limited to: NFL football, ΓΦΒ, college football, hoodie and shorts weather, and most of all Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks (well most of all at this given moment). A simple joy that had me waiting in line at Starbucks these past few years. Japan has not been so quick to catch onto the joys of Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

I am enjoying my time here, but it’s hard to fully enjoy everything when you’re constantly reminded of what you’re missing at home. Although the notion of being homesick got me to thinking this evening as well…I’ll never be able to go “home” again. Its cliché but you never really can return home again. I’ve been trying to define home, and I can’t quite get it down. I have been away from my physical home many times, and spent the past 5 years pretty far away from Rogers, so I’m not sure why this should be any different. People have changed, places have changed and nothing is quite how you remember it.

Maybe this is all to say that we should enjoy our pasts but not look to recreate them, to live in the moment and look forward instead of looking back at your past. We often chose to only remember the good times, but I so easily chose to forget the times I was bored to tears in Rogers, the nights I thought if I had any more homework I’d go insane. They all seem like pleasant memories now…but at the time they were not. I’m sure I’ll look back at my time in Japan and choose to only remember the good times, which there are many of, and I’ll forget about all this homesickness business. But at the moment…I’m left wanting a Pumpkin Spice Latte, that is all.