As the goodbyes are ramping up, we are realizing just how hard it is to say goodbye. It’s not just the act of telling people we love goodbye because we’ll miss them, but goodbye seems so permanent and we are learning that most of us humans have a hard time with that. Even when saying goodbye to people we know we’ll never see again and we’re ok with that, we still find ourselves saying “see you later” even after we’ve tried to say goodbye. It’s an interesting aspect of our human nature.

And then there’s our family and friends that we have shared life with. This Christmas has been hard because we’ve had to say goodbye to several people who have not realized it would be the last time we’ll see them or who aren’t ready to say goodbye. WE all want one more visit. It’s hard to fully understand that we won’t be in the states for Christmas next year. We won’t be here for big events, like weddings, graduations, funerals, etc. I’m not sure this has sunk in yet, for them or for us.

While we’ve been thinking about our departure date and are counting down the days, both of saying goodbyes and joining our team, not everyone has it on their minds every day. We’ve caught some people off guard that this will be the last time we see them before we leave. We wish there was one more time, but we’ll always wish for one more time…

We knew this time of year would be hard, but the goodbyes just don’t seem real. I’m not ready to fully admit that while our goodbyes aren’t forever and we will see people again, a lot changes in 1-1/2 years. We will be different people. Adalyn will have spent 1/3 of her life in Uganda. The states will no longer be our home. This is why it’s so important to have good goodbyes and learn ways to bridge the cultural/lifestyle gap to stay connected.

Our hope is that we can help keep people connected to our life in Uganda, and we hope people want to stay connected, even though it’ll be hard, different, confusing and probably frustrating at times. Please continue to pray as our departure date approaches.

And know that if you’re reading this, chances are you are a hard goodbye for us. We love you and cherish you, and are thankful to God for you!