I just said goodbye to my good friends Kaben and Jenn Kramer, who are leaving this Sunday to northern Uganda.
At least five of my friends are going on short-term missions this summer, but the Kramers will be the first of my friends to leave long-term. I had all these feelings translated into words in my head, but now that I'm writing I can't think of it.
At the least, there is this: The Kramer's leaving is one of those times that you realize you can't do anything but pray. Getting together a good bye gift, a two-page letter amidst all their paperwork...is perhaps not the best way to love them. And in the end, prayer is what we need anyway.
Besides, a lengthy goodbye is perhaps unnecessary anyway. Though I am a big fan of articulate, deep messages...I want them to leave with the joy of being sent, and I know the weight of saying goodbye to the home they have known is already heavy enough. Kaben knows how much I have valued his friendship. And God willing, we will see them again.
Sometimes I think I've gotten used to the cycle of goodbyes. Other times it feels like an old muscle I've forgotten how to use.
At least five of my friends are going on short-term missions this summer, but the Kramers will be the first of my friends to leave long-term. I had all these feelings translated into words in my head, but now that I'm writing I can't think of it.
At the least, there is this: The Kramer's leaving is one of those times that you realize you can't do anything but pray. Getting together a good bye gift, a two-page letter amidst all their paperwork...is perhaps not the best way to love them. And in the end, prayer is what we need anyway.
Besides, a lengthy goodbye is perhaps unnecessary anyway. Though I am a big fan of articulate, deep messages...I want them to leave with the joy of being sent, and I know the weight of saying goodbye to the home they have known is already heavy enough. Kaben knows how much I have valued his friendship. And God willing, we will see them again.
Sometimes I think I've gotten used to the cycle of goodbyes. Other times it feels like an old muscle I've forgotten how to use.
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