In Between

We're halfway in between Abbotsford and Fresno!  I'm excited to see our CA friends and family again, but still sad to have said goodbye to our new friends from Canada.  (Silly side story...  We have a Uhaul trailer with a Saskatchewan license plate and walking through a parking lot tonight I wondered if the people looking at us thought we were Canadian.  The fact that our kids happened to be singing "O Canada" might have thrown them off as well.  I even caught myself tonight - I think for the first time! - ending a sentence with "eh?"  The kids thought it was funny - especially since I didn't do it on purpose!  I guess my resistance finally wore off.  : )  What great timing!)

It's hard for me to put into words how much these people have impacted me in the last 3.5 months.  I respect these people and love these people and have learned from and with these people SO MUCH.  Not since I was living on campus in college have I bonded so deeply and so quickly with anyone.  I know, I know...  I'm being a bit dramatic and emotional.  But this weekend I said goodbye to these people and to our downstairs friend and to our kids' teachers and others and all those goodbyes make you realize how much people mean to you.  Knowing that you are going to be scattering to 5 different countries (plus the people staying there in Canada) makes it even tougher.

I don't know anyone who claims to like goodbyes.  I don't think we're supposed to.  It helps us long for Heaven where we won't have to say goodbye anymore.

So for now, we're in between.  In between Abbotsford and Fresno.  In between our home in BC and our next home in CA and another one someday in Peru.  In between being a developer and a stay-at-home-mom and being missionaries.  Between being born and dying.  In the middle of life on earth, on our way to eternity in heaven.

The picture above was taken at the end of our commissioning service on Friday and as we were standing there, Kevin Boese was singing a blessing to us (a song he wrote).  (My goodness, it was so hard not to cry.)  I can't remember all of the words, but will leave you with some of them as you navigate your own "in betweens".

May the peace of Christ go with you

Wherever He may send you

May He guide you through the wilderness,

Protect you through the storm

May He bring you home rejoicing

At the wonders He has shown you

May He bring you home rejoicing

Once again into our doors...

Bless you sweet friends...  I miss you already.