The first goodbye I had to make in El Salvador acted as a foreshadow to the ones still to come. It took my heart and shattered it to pieces. It was when we had to say goodbye to the young teenage girls we discipled at the orphanage. These were girls I had developed relationships with, who made me smile, who took my bad days and turned them good. These were girls I sang Oceans with (them in Spanish, me in English) and played Big Booty with. These were girls who had firmly taken hold of my heart. Saying goodbye was not easy, and heck I am glad it wasn’t. Through the tears, hugs, and aching hearts I knew love was at the center. I knew I loved them and they loved me and Jesus loved us all. The pain proved that Jesus had answered my prayer because in the days before, I had asked Jesus to break my heart for what breaks his and help me to love like he does. In this goodbye, that prayer rang true because I hurt.
And I hurt when I said goodbye to the rest of my amazing El Salvadorian friends. They also took pieces of my heart: the kids selling jewelry, the people who took me surfing, the kids at the program, and the people at the church. The 3 months I had with these beautiful people gave me memories of love to hold on to. And to this day, maybe a week later, I still hurt. However, it is a good hurt, a hurt that proves my love for all of them was strong and real. It was some of the hardest goodbyes I have ever had to say, but I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
