Ten Things I Did In The Past Ten Years

Last week I was in Beijing to renew my passport, because it’s going to expire.  It’s been ten years since I got it; pretty crazy to think of how fast time goes.    As I thought about the fact that it’s been a full ten years since I had to last do this, I had the thought of taking a moment to reflect on my past ten years.  Here are ten things I did in the past ten years.

*Left it all… Nearly ten years ago I had the realization that my work wasn’t fulfilling me.  That there was something else out there for me.  Shortly after that I left my job, my family and friends.

*Took a road less traveled – I went to Colorado to pursue getting to know Jesus and how to serve/love others.  It certainly wasn’t a well worn road, but taking it has made all the difference.

*Saw the world – I had the privilege of getting to see a lot of the world in the past ten years.  Places stateside, like New York, Colorado, and San Francisco.  But even better I got to see places like, North Africa, The Caribbean, Mexico, China, Thailand, Chile, Argentina, Colombia and Hong Kong.

*Got married – Life is much more enjoyable when you’re sharing it with someone.  I’m grateful to have met my best friend and even more grateful that I was able to convince her to marry me.  This year we will have been married for eight years.

*Started our family –  Our first child, Sydney, was born six years ago, following her we had Aubrey (almost four years old) and Caleb (a year a half old).

*Left it all, again…  For the second time in my past ten years I said goodbye to many of the people I loved, when Heather and I moved our family to China nearly four years ago. 

*Saw some cool stuff – I have been incredibly fortunate to have been able to see some awesome stuff.  The desert in North Africa, a volcanic beach in Chile, the Andes Mountains, the ocean in multiple places, the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the mountains of Colorado, overlooked Hong Kong from Mt. Victoria, the Golden Gate bridge, and about a million other things that my wife doesn't think are cool enough to make this list (but I know better.)

*Learned to speak Chinese – One of the hardest languages in the world.  Or at least that’s what people say.  I mean, how do they measure that?  Anyways, I don’t feel anywhere near fluent, but I am able to communicate with Chinese people and that’s rewarding.

*Started adoption/foster care journey – Many of you who read our blog know that a little over a year ago Heather and I began fostering our daughter Lily.  We want to adopt her when we reach the minimum age requirement of 30.  Since then we’ve also started fostering two more kids, Ellie and Sammie.  This was a huge turn in our life that we didn’t see coming, but are grateful for.

*Learned a bit about this person I call myself – I can’t say I knew anything about myself ten years ago.  I was just a stupid kid with high hopes.  Luckily, Jesus has been continuing to teach me.  To be honest, I don’t even think I knew much about myself before coming to China.  Being here, on this journey, has taught me a lot about myself.

Along the way I’ve been incredibly blessed to have been able to work with some amazing people.  I wouldn’t be anywhere if it weren’t for the amazing and supportive people I've had around me.

That’s me.  What’s something you did, saw, experienced, learned, or enjoyed in the past ten years?

much love,

the petersons