What makes a place feel like home?

That's my survey question of the day for you... “what makes a place feel like home?” Is it the apartment or house where you live, your job, your family and friends, how well you know the city and surrounding area, the fact that you know that you're supposed to be there... I'm sure the list of options could go on and on and everyone would probably have a different answer to the question. I'll explain why I'm asking myself the question.

Over the last week, I have been reading a book about church planting that Rachel suggested Ang and I read. It's a very good book and there is so much good stuff in it that I couldn't possibly tell you about it all, but here are a couple of things that really impacted me the other day as I was reading.

The first one is about embracing the new culture where you are living because, as the book puts it, “we have to die to our old culture if we are to become effective evangelistically.” Essentially, that means that I won't be able to reach, impact, build relationships with, and bring people to Jesus Christ (which is the reason why I'm here, after all) if I'm not willing to become a Quebecor. Once I thought about the impact of culture on our lives, I realized that the above statements are completely true. How could people welcome me into their culture and lives if I'm always talking about what life was like back in BC, instead of embracing what life is like here in Quebec?

If you've never been to Quebec... you might think that because Quebec is in Canada, the culture would be pretty much the same as in BC, right? Well, we might be in the same country, but the cultures are definitely not the same! I have been amazed over and over again at how different it is to live in Quebec after being born and raised in BC. Language, of course, is a huge difference, but there are tons of little differences too.

It's obviously natural for me to miss everyone back in BC, but I have realized that the people I meet in Montreal aren't particularly interested in hearing about life or the people in BC (no offense to anyone, of course). Whenever anyone of us who have moved here from Victoria will mention the name of someone who goes to Trinity (or something that happened in Victoria that somehow relates to what we are talking about), anyone in the room who doesn't know that person or the situation will just get a zoned out look on their faces. Fortunately, this doesn't happen very often, but the reaction is totally understandable, when you think about it. Those people want to get to know us more and learn more about what is behind this church that we have come here to plant... not to listen to us reminisce about life back in Victoria. Not that we can't do that, because we do miss everyone very much... we just need to do it in the right company. :)

As far as embracing the culture goes, I guess that language is always a good place to start. The longer I'm here, the more often I'm greeted in French. And as much as I'd love to be able to respond and ask my questions in French, I don't know enough words and so I often have to respond in English. And sometimes it is quite obvious that the person is annoyed with me... for being English. I need to find someone to speak French with who is willing to help me learn and get better.

The second one has to do with my question of the day... what makes a place feel like home? To explain, I'll share a story from the book.

“We got intimidated in our church plant when Xenia was very ill and I just heard the devil say 'Go home!' It was almost audible, it was so intimidating and we almost packed up because she became so ill. Then I said to the devil, 'I am home.' And he backed off.”

Wow! Not that anything like that has or will happen to me while I'm living in Montreal, but the story illustrated to me the incredible importance of declaring and taking active steps to make my new apartment and Montreal my home! The night that I read that story, our living room was still in a state of complete chaos with a mish-mash of furniture and boxes everywhere. Almost immediately, I went into the living room and started moving everything around to make a 'real' living room, a place where people would actually want to spend time.

I'm working on my bedroom, but it is going to take a little bit more time. I don't have enough storage space to unpack everything, so I need to figure out where I'm going to put everything I am going to unpack, what I'm going to leave packed, and what to do with my packed boxes. It's a bit frustrating at times, but it's all good and I'll figure it all out eventually!

So back to my question... “what makes a place feel like home?” I'm honestly still trying to answer that question about Montreal, but I can tell you this... making the apartment a comfortable place to live is helping and so is getting out to explore and discover the city. Even going to Starbucks on a regular basis to get internet access is a new routine that makes me feel more comfortable in this big city. And I do know that I will continue to meet people and make friends and that Montreal will continue to feel more and more like my home every day.

So, until the day that I can say with complete conviction that Montreal is my home, I have decided to declare that Montreal is my home! I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I'm supposed to be in Montreal (although I manage to forget that from time to time), I know that God has given me everything that I need to be here, and I know that my feelings need to be ignored sometimes.

And how can I forget a scripture that God used back in December to confirm that I was to come to Montreal. It's Jeremiah 32:38-41...

“And they shall be My people, and I will be their God. And I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for their good and for the good of their sons after them. And I will cut an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good. But I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me. Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will truly plant them in this land with all My heart and all My whole soul.”

Wow... He will truly plant me in this land with all His heart and all His whole soul! I'll take that promise to heart and declare that, yes, Montreal is my home. And the parts of me that don't agree with that statement right now will just need to get used to the idea. :)

P.S. For those of you who know Ang... as I was leaving our apartment tonight to make my way to Starbucks, she asked me to say "hello" to everyone in my blog post, so here goes... "Ang says hello!" :)