Farewell

I leave the castle in 26 hours. It doesn't feel that bad anymore since there are only a couple of us left and most of the crying is over.

It was hard…

This morning a group of students left for Pecs, Hungary to serve for their 30-day. It was 4 girls, 2 of them are very dear to me. I don't know when will be the next time I'll see one of them, Sarah, since she probably isn't coming back.

Sarah and I were roommates last semester and we became good friends. We were both new, needy of someone to hang out with, and we ended up hanging out all the time. We realized we're not much alike and we had some hard times when we needed to sit down and talk about the problem but that made our friendship even deeper.

She's leaving for Ghana in a couple of weeks since her dad got a job there. God has something very special prepared for her and I'm so grateful I got to be a part of a year of her life.

The other dear girl is Callie, and she's coming back next semester.

Callie and I were kind of hanging out during the semester but I was in my room a lot so not really. We went to a 10-day outreach together and since then, I just feel special love for her. The whole team became a family on the outreach but even when we came back… I don't know. I don't usually attach to people anymore because it's hard for me to trust them but Callie is so simple, honest and goofy that I couldn't harden my heart and not let her became a very special person in my heart. We're all brothers and sisters in Christ but I see Callie as my sister. She knows pretty much everything about me and she loves me. I can talk to her about anything and we'll still be ok. She doesn't judge me for who I was and she's just… I don't know. I feel like she accepted me differently than others and that means a lot.

I hope we'll be roommates next semester and that we'll be working in the coffee shop together.

Callie, I love you (I know you'll read this :) ).

 Shaunice, Callie and Gabrielle

I also said goodbye to a family from Maryland this morning but they’re coming back next semester.

Shaunice, the mom in the family, influenced me a lot this semester. She’s an encourager and because her background is similar to mine, God used her greatly in my life.

Her personality is so bright and she just cracks me up :)

Her husband Gus is a very peaceful guy, so different than her, but they are a good match. They have a 5-year old daughter Gabrielle that’s the cutest thing ever. They’re black so Gabby has awesome curly hair, all braded :)

I’ll miss seeing them every day but I’m thankful I’ll see them again.

So, this is my last day in Vajta. It'll be spent by the pool with an ice coffee, and I’ll be spending some quality time with Lynn. I’m sad to leave because of her since she was one of the most important people in my life this semester.

It’s hard for me to feel comfortable to talk to people but since I’ve been working with Lynn for 10 hours per week, I got used to her being around, seeing me in every mood. She was my mentor, my counselor, my good friend and sister in Christ. Well, she still is, I’m coming back next semester so I’m hoping we’ll continue our relationship. I’m also hoping I’ll be able to be a counselor for her, a friend who’s there to help and pray.

 Graduation party (me, Paula (my Columbian roomate), Lynn)

I’m excited about the summer and also a bit scared. I’ll be at home for 10 days and then I leave for the internship program.

There are many things on my heart that I’m dealing with and I’m giving them to the Lord so He can deal with them. There are many things still unknown and that’s the scariest thing ever, it’s the step of faith but I do trust God. I see how amazing He’s been to me this semester now that I look back, and it’s so wonderful to see His grace for me. He’s been giving me open doors, all that I need… He provided it all. (I learned my name means “God provides” which is something I’d never realized before. I know my name means bread from heaven but that also means God provides.) I know He won’t let me live without things He knows I need. He’s leading my path and I’m trying to be obedient and follow.

I’ll be updating all that’s going to be happening in the days when I’ll be at home.

I’d love it if you could be praying for me:

- for a humble heart that’s willing to be shaped

- for love for my family

- that I would be focused on Jesus and not on worldly things (Isaiah 11:2-3)

- for my trust in Him

- that I would enjoy life in Him because He gives abundantly, and not worry about the details.

Thank you for all of your support, it means so much to know I’m not alone in this; yes, I have Jesus with me, but I also have all of you who are supporting me and are standing behind me. It means more than you know.