Estoy parte de comunidad.

Community: a feeling of fellowship with others.

Our communities are very commonly defined for us, either by geographical boundaries, religious beliefs, language, and education are just a few easy examples. Then some communities expand beyond borders and can span across language or even time. Those communities can have an elephant effect on our culture, our country, and our world. But very frequently, and I know I am guilty of this, an individual's role in such a community is non-committal, for better or worse. On the other hand, some communities are close, small and the immediate spheres through which we live and work on a daily basis. Finding these communities and moving between communities has a strong impact on our comfort and our happiness as they give us a sense of belonging. And with belonging, we receive a sense of responsibility for each other and the importance of maintaining connection with each other in order to preserve this validation of who we are.  

When one moves to a new geographical location. Those smaller and immediate spheres of community have to be rebuilt and developed from the ground up. As an Apostolic Christian, one of those spheres, and arguably the most important, is ready and waiting. It helps with the daunting process of rebuilding the rest. My most recent move to Indiana presented me with a few new challenges as I worked through the process of finding and developing my new communities. 

This move is the first time that I am in a geographical location in which there is an overlap between my work community and my church community. I had up to this point, always been able to safely separate and disconnect those two worlds in my mind and my life before. It was also the first time in my life that I found myself standing at a starting line with no one to my right or left. No fellow classmates, or no co-residents in the trenches with me here. It's a new kind of alone. 

Thankfully, I know I am never alone, and honestly we are all searching for community. However, these new challenges have got me appreciating even more all past communities and relationships with which God has blessed my life. Some God used to drastically change my perspective, my behaviors and my life. I am who I am today because of these communities. 

This past weekend I was able to visit with Regg & Bev Beer and their tribe. Regg & Bev were my brother and sister in Ixtlan. Regg & I were in Mexico for roughly the same four year time span, Bev moved down for the last two years after they were married. Honestly, they probably wouldn't be able to shake me even if we only knew each other as general acquaintances through A.C. connections; they are just that kind of awesome. But when you can start a conversation with "Remember that time in Mexico when..." "Remember the tacos at the plaza..." "Remember when Jan..." Thankfully they let me keep dropping by, and even though my last visit was before the pandemic, the older boys are starting to remember me!

Two baseball players, a superhero, a pumpkin, and a cow. Between my sister's and these guys, I got to experience Halloween like a little kid this year. Very fun surprise!

Tucker, Cooper, Colton, Trace & Boyd. Not too many obvious differences between these two pictures. But I loved them both for one particular reason. In the picture on the left Boyd has his adorable little smile, while on the right he has a very characteristic facial expression in which he raises his left eyebrow. Before he got used to me, he'd walk around with his left eyebrow cocked as if he had a perpetual question, an expression I saw much less as the weekend continued.

Trace didn't remember me from my last visit, but I hadn't been in the house 5 minutes and he was crawling up my pant leg to sit with me on my stool. Such cute little buddies.

 

 

Guess how much time between above and below!  Bev & I.

 

lol, above = Indiana 2021, below = Guadalajara 2010. 

Much Love.