I don't really know how to explain my feelings on the fact that I'm getting on a plane to LA in less than twelve hours, so we're just going to ignore that for the time being.
I'm not going to try to wrap this up with you tonight, so hang on — give me a week or two at home and then maybe I'll have something meaningful to say on the topic.
However, I will tell you about Final Debrief.
Walking into Final Debrief was a lot of things… emotional, nerve-wracking, and kind of annoying, to be honest. Like, I get it. This shindig is over. Let's just say goodbye at the airport and save oursevles a week.
But noooo. I was sent to an island off the coast of Malaysia and for the first time probably ever, Kalamazoo, Michigan sounded a heck of a lot more appealing than a tropical island. I did not really love the idea of sitting around on a beach and processing through the complicated emotions and experiences of this year and inevitably crying a lot. It sounded exhausting.
I knew it was meant to be good, though, so I prayed and asked God to make it a time of joy and rest, a time to celebrate and remember, a time to talk about memories and dreams. I know it sounds cheesy, but it's what I wanted from the bottom of my heart.
And it is exactly what Jesus gave me.
The last few days on Pangkor Island were absolutely perfect — a really, really beautiful homage to a tough, sweet, gritty, tender season of life together. There were a couple of moments of "this is the last time we're going to _____ together," but I laughed a whole lot more than I felt sad. Amanda and I were asked to come up with some type of an end-of-the-year awards ceremony and we had more fun planning and hosting our A Squad Squatty Awards than I can articulate. I got to hang out on a beach with my teammates and closest friends and even had an adventure in the ER when Kelsey skidded on her motorbike while on a quest for late-night roti. Our squad had incredible times of worship together and ended the year with a simply perfect evening on the beach. Seriously, everything about the last couple of days has been exactly what I prayed for.
So now we're crashing in our last hotel abroad and getting up in a couple of hours to load our packs onto one more bus and getting on one more airplane as A Squad. It is bittersweet, to be sure, but I believe that it is truly a thing to celebrate. We have celebrated this year together and now we celebrate the fact that it is only just the beginning. The goodbyes might be tearful, but they will be sweet, sweet tears of gratitude and excitement, I think.
I made this video to try to capture the essence of what I saw and experienced and felt over the last few days… it's absolutely not a recap of Malaysia or even everything that happened at debrief… just a collection of sights and sounds and faces and tastes that made Final Debrief blessed. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Thanks to Stephanie May, for teaching me to look at the world with an eye for video, for letting me use her beautiful camera, and for spoonfeeding me her B Roll [TERMS. It sounds like I know what I'm talking about now]. Oh, also for sharing a bed with me for the last week. I love you.
