Tension

My kitchen in Japan. Yes, I miss it!

I received a message from one of my good Japanese friends last night. She asked how life was for us in Australia, whether we felt settled here, and mentioned how she missed our language exchange time.

Among other things, I wrote the below in reply:

Yes, we're fairly well settled. But it's only 5 ½ months till we get back to Japan! Hard to believe how fast it's going.

Sometimes it's hard to be in Australia because we're reminded how easy life is for us here and how much we enjoy life in Australia. Also we're reminded of all the people and experiences we miss when we're in Japan. However, our passion for being a part of getting the gospel to Japan hasn't waned, so no doubt God will provide the motivation to get back to Japan when it is time. We'll be back in early July, Lord willing.

I often feel really torn when we're here. Torn between loving being here (friends, ease of living, climate, language, family etc.) and wanting to be there (friends, a sense of purpose, things specific to Japan like the activities at the school, our stuff, boys happier there etc.).

I imagine it is a tension I'll have to live with for the rest of my life, on one level or another.