Goodbye – Pt. 1

Saying goodbye is typically not an easy thing to do… And it proved to be true for me too. Saying goodbye to the people that I love has been tough. BUT… I will say this… I felt so honored and cared for in my departure. If I am honest, I had some hopes that people would be sad that I was leaving, and that people would make my goodbye special. I think that is probably a human thing, we want to know we are liked. Well, I was blown away by the care and love. It was beyond what I even hoped for. 

I want to take a minute to ramble here and say things that I didn’t say. 

To Mission students… I can’t begin to describe the love I have for you as a whole. I didn’t know the depth of the love that I had for my job or for the group until I had to say goodbye. As I sit in my new office in Greenwich, CT, I can recall so many faces and so many times that we had together. It is with great fondness that I will bring these memories with me and I will forever cherish. There is something wonderfully beautiful in the way Jr. High students express and articulate their thoughts and feelings. It was a beautiful way for me to say goodbye. The gifts, hugs, tears, photos, words, and overall send-off was humbling and honoring. Thank you for that. I am across the country now, but we are still friends and I still care deeply about each of you. Remember… chase Jesus. 

To the Mission Staff… WOW… The way you all honored me was special. I was able to keep the tears back the entire time, except for on my last day when you all stood up and clapped me out the door. That moment I will keep with me forever. You prayed for me on several occasions (that was just publicly, not to mention privately). You all took a great interest in my new job and asked lots of questions (some of you even asked to come with me… you know who you are). You took time to say some kind and encouraging words to me. You complimented me more than I deserved. You offered to help with my wife and boys. You… See where this is going? It could go on for days. You did me such a service and gave me so much encouragement. Thank you for that. I loved my 5 years of being able to be on staff at such a special place. I will look back on those days as GREAT DAYS. Just think, we got to see God do some amazing things in our lives and in the lives of thousands of people. That was a fun and wild ride. I met some of the greatest dudes you could ever meet. There is a group of guys that get together once a week (more like 5 times) to play a made up game by a bunch of twenty/thirty something guys that needed to bond together in a time of pain. Those days will always go down as the good ol’ days. 

To the Families at Mission… You will never know how much it means to me that you trusted me with your students. You believed in me and you supported me. You complimented me and you loved me. Thank you for the support that you gave me. You were so gracious in your saying goodbye. You expressed sadness, but also your excitement for me. Thank you for that. It was huge in my transition. 

Goodbyes are for the birds… well, actually they are hard, but a necessary part of life. This is a new adventure for our family… not because the old adventure wasn’t good, in fact, it was great… but because it is new. God has called us here, we believe that. We want mostly to be where the Lord wants us. And… it just so happens that the Lord wants me to live very close to New York City!!!!!

Thank you. Thank you to everyone for your support.

 

Part 2 will be coming… friends, family, and home.