It has been an interesting week as we have spent time with friends and family saying “Good-bye”. On Sunday, we had a big Good-Bye party after church where we got to see a majority of our friends. It was so great seeing all of you and we felt so loved and cherished by all who showed up. We know that there were many who wanted to come and be there and we felt your love. It was interesting that as our party was wrapping up, the church was preparing for a funeral. The mother of one of our friends passed away and they were having her memorial service. To me, it reflected some of my feelings. I would not dare to equate the loss of a dear family member to what we are having to do but there is a sense of loss. We know that the next time we see many of our friends, they will have had experiences that we were not a part of. While we will not lose their friendships, they will be different. We will be different. Nothing will be the same as it is right now. But this is the life that God has for us and we have chosen to follow Him no matter what.

In our pre-field training, they said something that was wonderful. They said that as missionaries, we must be able to say “Good-bye” well so that we can say “Hello” well. Life as a missionary is very mobile. People come to the field or leave the field on a regular basis. They say that missionary kids are quick to bond because they don’t always have the time to build relationships as it is extremely rare that they will go through school with the same kids. Just a case in point, on Saturday our team is having a welcoming party for us but it will also be a farewell party for a family that were volunteering with eDOT while the husband worked a job in Germany. Due to some circumstances, they are having to leave and move back to the US. So begins our lives overseas.

So our bags are packed and tomorrow we use our one-way tickets. Please pray:

• that we will have a safe and uneventful journey
• that we are able to sleep on the plane (especially Alex>
• that we are able to have a peaceful and simple transition into the German culture

We will post more when we get a chance. God bless!!