Phumlamnao-ภูมิลำเนา

In my Bible reading today, I started in Mark 6:1.  I didn’t get too far when I came across the word (I’ve been reading in Thai): ภูมิลำเนา

This is not a word I see a whole lot, in fact, it is only used 4 times in the Bible translation I am using.
I looked it up in my translation notes and found the following definition:

birthplace or place you have spent most of your life in and identify with

Upon reading that definition, I immediately thought: “I’m not sure I have one of those.”

I grew up in Connecticut and spent the most years of my life there.  But I have not lived there for ages and I don’t keep track of anyone there except a few relatives.

My childhood home

I lived almost an the next greatest number of years in Calfornia, but in three different places (or perhaps four, to be a bit more precise) and the place we lived there the longest was Fresno.  We were in Fresno less than 10 years and were even gone part of that time, so perhaps 9 years altogether.  That is only a little bit longer than we spent in Bakersfield, California or l’Etang, Haiti (just over 7 years each).

Our house in Fresno, back in the days where there was water there.

Currently we are in Thailand, but having spent only 4 years here living in as many provinces, I can’t say we’ve found a home here yet, either.

View of me current home town on a smoky winter day

Right now I would perhaps identify mostly with Fresno, but only because we have the most number of current relational connections there.

So where is my phumlamnao?

I really don’t know.

I am a sojourner.  Trying to follow Jesus where he leads, though not always sure I am successful.

Interestingly, it may be the place I identify most with is a place I’ve never been.  As Paul wrote to the church in Philippi:

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ