saying goodbyes

I'm realizing more and more that part of being a missionary is having to saying goodbye.... a lot.

Can I just be blunt? It sucks.

Over the last year we have said goodbye to a whole lot of incredible people. It started at our training in IL last June-ish. It is amazing how spending 6 short weeks with people can endear them to you forever. But we had to say goodbye. Then we got back home and of course, had to say goodbye to all our family and friends there. Horrible. Now language school. People... wonderful people.... have been coming and going for the last 10 months. Make new friends.... they leave in Dec. Make more new friends, they leave in April. Make more new friends, we leave in June.

Picture to the left? My oldest, saying goodbye to a great friend. I've been trying to convince her and her mom that they need to move to Quito, but they aren't listening.

Can I just say it again? It sucks.

The whole moving again, saying goodbye and all that is taking a toll on the kids. It shows in their faces. In their actions. Hard.

Today we said goodbye to our teacher/tutor. She is just great. Then we went to our dear, dear friends' house for dinner and said goodbye to them. This family was one of God's greatest gifts to us when we got here, and still is as we leave. No fun (well, it was very fun to be there, but no fun to say goodbye, of course).

Sucks.

And tomorrow. We say goodbye to our empleada. I know I'll cry. Again. Then goodbye to more good friends... friends of two of our daughters and their mother - who makes me pee my pants laughing (no, not literally). And then another goodbye to another fabulous friend. I sooooo enjoy her. And she and her husband have been so kind and generous with us. She makes me pee too - in the good, non-literal way, of course!

BUT, even though all of this sucks and I really don't like it at all, I can't help but be incredibly grateful for how rich my live (and the lives of all in our family) are because of it. It is so much better than not meeting any of these people at all. That is some of the richest stuff there is. It is part of what is eternal. God has blessed us incredibly with so many wonderful people that we have been able to know.

Yah, it sucks, but I am thankful.

side note: Sorry if you don't like the word "sucks". Since it is so very not fun at all, it just gets the point across. There is some power in the sound of the word. Blows, bites, stinks, is yucky, is lousy or something of that nature could also be used if you find my vocabulary offensive, but I sure hope you don't.