I have nice memories from people coming to visit us while we were overseas. Yes, the visits were often hectic and tiring, but some of the best moments were the quiet times when we were all sitting in our living room, having honest conversations about life in another country—honest, thoughtful, and heartfelt conversations.
During one of those times, Laura, a young lady from our home church sang for us. Her father, Phil, was our church’s worship minister, and he’d written a song named “Sovereign Lord,” which had gone on to win the grand prize at the 2002 Write about Jesus competition. We knew that Laura had recorded it, accompanied by her brother, Nathan, who was also on the trip (yeah, they’re a gifted family). So as we sat, gathered around our couch, we asked Laura to sing.
When people came to visit, they often brought us gifts—books and DVDs and cake mixes and games. This was a different kind of gift, and one of the best that we received.
What a nice memory.
[photo: “My New Couch,” by Star Athena, used under a Creative Commons license]
Clearing Customs 