Goodbye Cali

Our time in California has now come to a close. It was so wonderful to spend three weeks visiting with family and friends. What a blessing. We got to visit my grandmother, go backpacking, visit my cousin Jenny and her family in Visalia, my college roommate and her family in Davis, make a trip to Mexico, visit with Mary and Brent Adamson, spend some time enjoying the waves at the beach and put in a good amount of time in the games department with my parents. Anyone who knows my family well knows that this is a mandatory activity in our household. My mom treated us with delicious homemade meals and I think we all probably gained a little weight, but most of all just enjoyed being together teasing, laughing and doing life.

It is a little surreal to think that it will be two years before I have the opportunity to enter my childhood home again or walk back through the doors of the church I grew up in. I am sure the time will go by quickly, but I can’t help but think about how things might change or be different in that two year period of time.

Change isn’t always good or bad, but it always involves a loss. A loss of what was to the evolution of
what will be. Sometimes change is much anticipated and a cause for excitement – getting a new job,
moving to a new home, getting married – other times it is not so desired which makes the sting of the
inevitable loss that much harder to carry. As I said goodbye to my parents this morning I stand in the
wake of change that holds both characteristics. Moving overseas to serve in ministry is something I
have worked towards for over a decade. It has been a prayer, a dream and it is now becoming a much
anticipated reality. I can think of nothing more satisfying or fulfilling than doing what the Lord as asked of you. At the same time however, saying goodbye comes with a loss. It will be years before I am back home again and possibly years before I see some of the most influential people in my life. What will they be like? What will have changed never to be the same again? What will I miss out on? I have found that this guessing game only makes the goodbye more painful. I have also found that I am more and more thankful for modern technology which will make communication and staying in touch with those back home so much easier. Without that promise to stay connected I think I might absolutely fall apart. As technology inept as I am, God knew exactly what generation I needed to belong to and I don’t think it was an accident that my husband works in IT.

The goodbyes are done, the tears shed and now it is time to look forward. We are currently flying to
North Carolina for a 10 day orientation with Samaritan’s Purse. I am so hoping that this is a time not
only to be filled with good information and to have many of our questions answered, but also a time to be energized and gain momentum about moving forward into what God has planned. I am excited to meet the other people in our Samaritan’s Purse “class” of post residency program. People who have the same heart desires and also will be setting out to move to another country soon. I am hoping that we come out of this 10 day period more excited and ready to serve than ever before.

When we return to Michigan we will have to hit the ground running. While we were gone in California our house sold! HUGE PRAISE! But that also means that we will have approximately 8 days to sell all of our things, put a few in storage and pack our lives up into 7 suitcases to move overseas. This is also going to be the time when we will be trying to see and say goodbye to many of our friends and church family in Michigan. I don’t think sleep is going to be a common commodity for us when we return. We will also be going out to Washington DC to visit my brother Kevin during this time. Whew....maybe we are going to have to hit the ground sprinting. Prayer for endurance would be much appreciated!