Home

 In my life I have had many homes, after all that is part of the fun of being a missionary kid. My parents are both North American, (however my dad was raised in Brazil,) as for me, I was born and raised in Amsterdam. Within Amsterdam we moved around several times and I always tried to find my place in my new surroundings: new friends, new school, new activities, and so on. It is funny being a third-culture kid because you never quite feel like you belong. Because my parents are North American I was raised at home with primarily North American values. However, going to a Dutch school and living in Dutch culture instilled some Dutch values in me. That in combination with going to a very multi-cultural Church and having friends from various cultures meant that I had a little bit of everything and was never fully something.

 Living in the Netherlands people could always tell that I wasn't fully Dutch and when I moved to Canada at the age of 17 it was quite clear that I was not fully Canadian either.  People are, and probably always will be, able to tell that I don't quite belong, either by the language I use or the way I approach a situation or any other thing that might not fully match the cultural setting I find myself in. 

 Strangely enough, I quite enjoy not fitting into any one culture here on earth. I'm pretty comfortable not feeling entirely at home in Holland and not feeling entirely at home in Canada either.  The reason is, I know that any place on earth really isn't my home. As I was once again reminded in Church today, as Christians we don't actually belong on earth anymore. Our true home is in Heaven with our Heavenly Father. And one day, when my time has come, God will finally call me home to where I belong.