Loved Right Here: Ruth's Words to Wanderers

What does it take to survive and thrive abroad? In this "Words to Wanderers" series, expats and TCKs share their stories and advice. Today, Ruth shares her experience.

Please introduce yourself! Who are you, what do you do, and what’s one thing you’re loving in your life right now?

Hiya! I’m Ruth, a semi-well-travelled first generation Aussie who spends her time writing, counselling, and documenting the stories of the world around her. Currently I’m helping a sweet little church on the North Shore of Oahu build their online presence and serve the community through health and wellbeing content.

Right now I’m living in Hawaii, and I currently love being able to watch the sunrise over the ocean and then set over the same ocean on the other side of the island. Not many people live on a land mass small enough for that!

Tell us about your experience living internationally. Where were you born? Where have you lived? And what brought you to where you are now?

I was born in Australia. My parents had my brother in Melbourne four years before me, and had relocated from South Africa. I feel like that’s important because my life was informed by some cultural diversity almost immediately, and I think that fanned the flame for the expat life.

I have lived in Australia, France, England and now the United States (Hawaii, specifically – which feels like a different country and depending on who you ask actually is). My mum lived in Vanuatu when I was a teenager so I got to visit there a few times in my life and it feels like a second home.

What’s something you enjoy about your expat life?

I have always had this curious and delightful habit of noticing and noting the sweet idiosyncrasies of humans as they interact with the world around them and with one another. I personally think that it resembles the mind and heart of God, who did not give Adam and Eve hugely specific guidelines on how to live life (because they weren’t necessary), and I believe intended to enjoy His creation as much as they were blessed to enjoy Him and one another.

Slow walks and long hours in the park allow you to see a lot of the life that people carry themselves through and what makes them tick. Signing up to neighbourhood sports clubs gets you invites with strangers to karaoke parties. Learning to surf at the local spots will give you a beautiful indication of how the ocean has healed the body and mind of the generations that have come before. Look, listen, and learn.

What’s a hard thing about living abroad? How are you working through that challenge?

I have the most trouble with administrative matters, such as accessing my banking and account details, using international credit cards, etc. In the past, I was able to set up bank accounts and earn income in the countries I was in, but my current situation relies on a volunteer stipend, and I’m on a Visa that comes with many restrictions that I in good conscience obey! Another admin-related thing is having all my online accounts for different internet based services sending security codes to my no-longer-active mobile number back in Australia. It’s definitely a hassle and a headache and I often feel a bit silly for not realising this would be a continuing problem. A lot has changed since my last expat stint in 2016!

How am I working through that challenge? I’ll let you know when I resolve it in its entirety. But I would say, a lot of costly calls back home to change details, and a lot of that Holy Spirit patience – praise God that it’s an ever flowing supply!

How has living abroad/moving around impacted your spiritual journey?

Apart from the literal vastness of this planet, and its unique and diverse natural wonders, it’s the privilege of engaging with people from different places, different timelines and different cultural frameworks that proves even more to me how big God is, and how finite my understanding of Him and His creative force is.

That’s not to say I feel ashamed or frustrated with how limited my comprehension of life is, or how God can work in different timelines and through vastly different pressures and expectations that vary from person to person.

It’s more so this beautiful invitation to each day say, “Wow, God. You truly are infinitely creative. Look at how you are leading each of your kids to healing and wholeness in you. Look at how you teach love and peace in wildly different expressions of life with those that don’t fit the mold of what I was taught was holy and right.”

It’s an invitation to say, “I trust you with each of our stories. Thank you for letting me love and be loved right here.”

What is something you’ve learned about yourself through your travels/life abroad?

That I’m actually allowed to pursue what I’m passionate about, and they’re good things.

That I have the blessing of heaven above to live this life of open-ended travel and international living, and not fear that it’s selfish or rooted in pride.

That these dreams, through the lens of my freedom as God’s daughter, actually make complete sense.

That my heart wants good things because it is good – because He gave it to me and I accepted it.

I’ve seen the fruits of believing this about myself in a new environment with strange pressures and homesickness and island fever (I’m a 15 hour road trip girl, myself), and they are good fruit. Much like the mango on this island. Phwoarh.

How would you encourage other expats and global nomads? Or, what advice would you give them?

Know that you have the spokesperson of heaven who literally breathed life into you guiding you from within. You have the Holy Spirit, and He is very generous when it comes to giving you guidance and directing your next step or telling you to hold off and tarry a little longer.

I think we can get stuck in a mindset of “Oh I’m just a transient person” or “I’m just nomadic,” when those may just be fruits of certain things we believe about ourselves.

There was a time I wanted to lean on those identifiers because they gave me an excuse to leave difficult situations that I didn’t want to face. They gave me permission to not go deep with the people I encountered, and save face and avoid conversations that revealed the log in my own eye. I could run from hurt and grief. But God has reminded me that I am His daughter and the things I do don’t define who I am.

Jesus was nomadic, and yet his identifier was God’s son. He was nomadic because deep, transformative relationships and conversation was His calling. It was one of many opportunities to serve God’s children in His lifetime. He intentionally went to Samaria to talk to a woman at a well who up until that point was a complete stranger. His obedience to His Father meant He went to a place no one from His culture wanted to, and He got the green light to ask her very pointed questions.

So travel from an assurance of who you are in Him. Travel as an act of obedience to His calling on your life, rather than fleeing from what scares you at home. And know that life is weird at times for everyone, everywhere. But you’ll always have peace, because the presence of Peace goes with you wherever you do.

Where can we find out more about you?

Come say hello at @thesecretplacepoet on Instagram! I am a certified conversationalist.

Thank you, Ruth!

What resonated with you from her experiences and advice? Let us know in the comments, and stay tuned for the next interview. Subscribe to the blog below, so you don't miss a post!