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Packing...Good-byes...Traveling

I am excited to be leaving for the Dominican Republic (DR) very soon!  But yet with this comes the other side of the coin...good-byes and packing.  In life you have the ebb and flow and good-byes are a part of that cycle.  You would think that I would be a pro at saying good-byes since I have been doing it since I was two years old.  I'm not.  I know that saying good-byes is a very important part of life as it brings closure for that season in your life.  It's important to say my good-byes well in order for me to say 'hello' well as I meet new people and invite them into my life.

Saying good-byes to people, places, foods, and things may seem funny to some.  Let me share with you how it affected my life.  My family was moving one summer from one town to another and the week that they moved I was at Bible camp.  I was just so excited to be at Bible camp.  When camp was over, my parents picked me up and drove me to our new home.  At first, I was excited about the new house and having my own room and exploring our new town.  Later, it hit me that my friend from my other town was no longer a part of my life.  She didn't go to my church nor my school.  I never said good-bye to her and so I longed for her presence.  My mom had me write letters to her but not getting a response back, I gave up.  Not having closure in that season of my life affected my future relationships since for quite a while I longed for my friend.  Why is saying good-byes important?  It is very important because you never know when or if you will see, taste, visit, or have again those things and people in your life.

As I have been going through things of what to get rid of, what will stay stateside and what to take is a big ordeal.  I do not have very many things.  If that isn't enough to top it off.  I have a weight limit and a limit on how many suitcases I can take.  Much prayer goes into my packing process.  Knowing and discerning what I will need and what I can live without or at least for a time.  Praying for grace at the airports that their scales will read that my suitcases are under the limit.  Praying that everything will be intact, unbroken, and not damaged when they arrive.  

The day of travel...for me it's tiring but interesting in some way.  Tiring in the sense that I am usually leaving in the middle of the night to get to the airport three hours prior to my international flight.  Flying is a hurry up and wait game.  It amazes me how many people do not follow instructions and how they try to bend the rules to their advantage.  Interesting in getting to know some of the people who I sit next to in the plane.

Please keep me in prayer as I am getting ready to travel June 7th to the DR and as I travel.
Missionary Candidates at the training

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