And they're off!

...the ground, that is. In spite of record thunderstorms, tornadoes, and gale-force winds, my parents departed Chicago O'Hare International Airport safely and (relatively) on time. If all goes smoothly, they will be in Magyarorszag (Hungary) by noon! I'm thrilled that they are able to come for this, the first, visit.

I've certainly been reminded of the importance of family, the joys of sharing life with parents and adult siblings and the opposing loss of living far from them, as well as the significance of giving up geographical closeness for the sake of the gospel since moving to Budapest. There have been pretty hard times of feeling stressed, longing for "home," or wishing people far away could be near during these packed 2.5 years of teaching at ICSB. God's loving presence is bringing me through, and tomorrow he is bringing my parents, too!

We'll stroll through the city, stop by random places that I enjoy, spend a day at school, spend 9 hours in nearby Vienna, visit friends, go to my church, and just hang out together. Through the course of the week-long visit--brimming with conversation--I imagine there will be time for a lot of processing, thinking about God and life and faith and worship. Beyond the glorious joy of seeing Mom and Dad, a long weekend to catch my breath and think will be really important.

The fact that I haven't spent much time reflecting lately is reflected in my sparse blog archive. So much goes on every day, but I'm not slowing down enough to notice. Sometimes I miss what God is doing around me while I'm so busy doing everything else. My parents' visit, the good questions they'll ask, and a couple of days off school could be just the opportunity I need to be still, reflect, and realign myself with God's purposes.

For now, I'll spend some time in prayer, throw another load of towel(s) in my mini-washing machine, and head to bed. My parents will be here tomorrow.