extreme hope. extreme home.

Extremes. 

Everything seems that way lately. 

Extreme joy in the midst of extreme pain.

Extreme Life overcoming extreme death.

And, currently, extremely cold fingers wrapped around an extremely hot cup of tea. 

It's everywhere.

Extreme differences in the black and white culture groups in South Africa, which I constantly find myself misunderstood and in the middle of.

Even as winter approaches and lush, green South Africa fades to wintry subtly, you can't miss the eye-popping, bright-red poinsettia bushes that remind me of the extremeness of our Creator's masterful scheming.

Right outside my cottage! Who knew they aren't indigenously in foil-covered pots at Christmastime!?!

I've been clinging to this little nugget: 

(unfortunately not the same kind of little nugget you'd like to get your hands on, Lauren!)

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." 

Romans 8:38-39

Paul's convinced. And he did things in extremes too. 

Remember that time he went from Saul to Paul in the most extreme story of conversion ever? (Acts 9)

He lived in every extreme - from murderer to martyr - and at the end of the day, says nothing will separate us from the love of Christ.

Honestly, on some days, in some of the extremes that come after the "nor" part of Paul's Truth-talking, it's hard to see the inseparable love. It's hard to hit all of the extremes at once and understand how the love fits them all.

But...

"...in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all..."

Romans 8:24

I did see it - inseparable love - in all the parts on the day we went to tell Ruth we were building her a new home.

Her grandmother passed away hours before. We had no idea.

She was grieving and, despite what her culture says, decided to let us in on it.

We mourned, we prayed, and stood right in the middle of extreme loss and extreme hope - a promise of Home in God being made tangible by a promise of a home on earth.

Welcome to Hope and Homes right in the middle of extreme everything.