Saying Bye & Looking Forward…

Saying
good-bye is hard! When you leave friends from college, or your family moves, or someone passes away, or friends move away…it’s hard to say
good-bye.

This month,
I was able to build some wonderful relationships that will last a long time, bonds
that go deeper than just the surface, tears that are stronger than water,
compassion that is real, and love that is true.

(Sherry & Lloyd)

First of
all, we had the two most amazing hosts ever!
God has gifted both Sherry and Lolo (g’pa as we called him) Lloyd with
hospitality and it shows. We were
welcomed in as family and they allowed to take over their whole house,
including their living room, kitchen, fridge, bathrooms, office, and all extra
bedrooms. They took care of us when we
were sick, invited us to be a part of what they were doing with church and many
friends. They included us in their lives to get to know them, while caring sincerely about ours and where we come from. They helped brief us on the
Filipino culture and gave us all the tips we needed to live there. They encouraged me in SO many ways this month. I thank God for Sherry and Lloyd and how He
blessed us with them!

(Kari & Cheryl eating the snickerdoodles I made for them)

Being a part of the evangelism ministry with
Pastor Attos throughout this month, I grew to know some members of the church (all
ages) who came with us each time we went out into the community. Cheryl in particular captured my heart. She’s the one I went out with each time. We would laugh together, have serious
conversations together, get to know about each other’s lives, share testimonies
together, tag-team it while talking and sharing with neighbors, and pray together. As the
month drew to a close, we exchanged gifts of memories, pictures, and said our
last good-byes; tears began to fall down her cheeks. She said, “You will always be in my
heart. Don’t forget me; pray for
me.” I will never forget her…and I have
to go back and visit someday.

(Elfie, Me, and Annie – the Pastor’s banquet)

It took me
awhile to really get to know some of the International Care Ministry staff and
volunteers we worked with all month, due to the fact that I missed the first
two days when our team was introduced. I worked with a couple specific
ministries all month in order to build relationships with the same people. Recently at a few ICM gatherings, when we
were able to just talk and get to know each other, I made a real connection
with them. It made me want to stay and
get to know them more, work along side them, and spend more time
with them.

So many
people will be missed. I know God
brought me here at this moment in time for this amount of time to be used for
Him. He did His work and it is soon time
to move on. It may be hard to leave, but
I know that each one of them is safe in God’s hands as I leave, He will never
leave them. Across the world He may be with
me, but He is also with them. I have
hopes of coming back to the Philippines
to visit again someday, and I know I will for sure see them in heaven one day!

As I say my
good-byes, I look forward into what God has in store this next month. We will be spending Christmas on an island in
Puerto Galera along the beach. While
there, we may have some opportunities to minister to those around us, spend
time in prayer, invest time in our “family” we have here with us for the year,
and just resting, resting in Christ. We
plan to depart from the Philippines
on January 2^nd and will head to a closed country where we will be
unable to communicate with anyone outside of the country throughout the whole
month. Although, I will be unable to
update my blog or email you, I ask that you pray for us throughout the
month. We will be there learning their
language as students and teaching English to the same students. It will be a month of prayer for the people
we are around, and for discernment throughout the month on what to say and when
to say it.

(where we’ll be for Christmas and debrief of the Philippines and briefing for the next country)