What do you get when...

What do you get when you put:

7 Canadians

 

1 Korean

Newlyweds from Norway

12 kids

A Malaysian who’s lived in the UK for the last 20 years

1 Costa Rican

A bunch of Americans

All adding up to 37 people (emphasis on the 37)

 

 

In a house, all together? Yes, I said all together.

 

Well, let me tell you.

Music- with half the group being musically inclined and the other half loving the music, beautiful noises can usually be heard. Whether it’s in its raw or packaged form, music, and thus, worship happens. It is a wonderful thing.

 

Mess- There is always a mess to be found no matter if you cleaned the entire house just 3.5 minutes before.

Food- People like to eat, we are no exception. The great thing about living with a diverse group of people is that there is a plethora of new foods to try and learn about. I ate octopus for the first time during one of our “Asian nights.”

 

Conflict- You don’t think that we all sit around, holding hands, singing Kumbaya, everyday, all day, do you? As much as I’d like to think we do, we don’t.

Conversation- with 37 people, there is always someone to talk to.

Prayer- While we may not hold hands and sing Kumbaya, we do like to pray. So, if you need prayer, this is the place to go. ;)

Creativity- Whether it be deciding on the most effective spot for the garbage can, editing photos, creating newsletters, or coming up with fund-raising ideas, creative things happen here.

Laughter- If laughter extends your life, I think we can all add a few more days to ours. We laugh at (I mean with) each other, we laugh at something funny the kids say, we laugh at our cultural differences, and whatever else there is to laugh about. This crew is pretty hilarious and we know how to laugh at ourselves.

Family- and I thought living in a family of 10 was large… but seriously, though we may not be blood-related, we are learning to relate to each other as family would. We even got our “mamas” and our “little brothers” and just last night I even heard someone say, “Goodnight black dad.” Yeah, we’re family.

 

 

This is just a little taste of what I’m experiencing and the loveliness that surrounds my daily life. And you know, I like these people.

 

I like them a whole lot. :)