goodbyes...

Our friends, the Smalley family, are missionaries serving at the Evangelical Christian Academy just outside of Madrid, Spain. Check out their recent blog post about the constant transition of missionaries in an international school context. It really hit home for me...especially this week...

...this week has been hard. I couldn't really put my finger on why I was having such a hard time until yesterday afternoon. I realized that its a hard week because of all the impending goodbyes. 

It seems that throughout the entirety of our almost 12 years as a family, we have moved on a semi-regular basis. Saying goodbye to friends and family has become a very regular part of who we are...and God has used these experiences to prepare us for our ministry here in Vienna. We are thankful for it...

...but that doesn't mean that it's easy. It is a part of the reality of serving at an international christian school. Turnover is high with both staff and students. Many of our international families are in professions that regularly reassign staff so students from these families are often at ICSV for a relatively short time...

This brings lots of goodbyes at this time of year; 

...Goodbyes to friends who have grown as close as siblings. 

...Goodbyes to students who are as dearly loved as our own children.

...Goodbyes that you have had months to prepare for.

...Goodbyes that you never saw coming.

Its so easy to default to meaningless cliches when you don't really want to say what you're feeling. One of these cliches is describing our school (or any place of employment) as a family when explaining why you enjoy working there. But today, I experienced why ICSV is special; why ministering here is such a joy and honor.

I saw a young couple, my friends, tearfully explaining why they will not be returning next year. I saw the pain in their faces as they explained how much it hurt that they would not be able to see the students in the class they sponsor graduate next year. I heard the sobs from the row of young men as they realized that their mentor and friend would soon be a continent away.

But I also saw something else.

I saw the entire student body of the high school get out of their seats and gather around this couple. I saw students from over 30 nations crying out to God. I heard these students pray for God's guidance to be shown in the lives of this family. I saw a group of young men gather around this teacher; a dozen young men crying, praying, and embracing this man who has meant so much to them.

None of know how things are going to work out. 

What we do know is that we serve a God who does know how it will work out.

Pray that we will all continue to say goodbye well, appreciate the time we have been given with each other, and find our hope in our Savior.