Anyone who's lived overseas for a time is familiar with the longing that one feels upon return: for the corner cafe, the market down the street, or the hole-in-the wall that serves up amazing local eats for the cost of a burger here in the States.
I experienced the most nostalgia of this kind upon return from China years ago, though there are still times I think about the chicken makhani in India, the fresh avocados in Chile, or the kimchi chi'gae on a rainy day in Korea.
We have new friends at church who have recently returned to the States after serving two years in the Northern Mongolia region of China, where Hot Pot was ubiquitous, memorable, and ridiculously affordable. It was my privilege and delight, therefore, to put on a Hot Pot dinner (the first one of the season!) for them, knowing that memories warm the heart like hot pot warms the belly.
So thankful. in this season of our lives, to experience a bit of the Nations come to our dinner table as we are reminded of the Greatness that is at work beyond our borders.