at the airport
I never really thought about this moment. I guess I knew in my heart it would come; I just didn’t think to prepare my heart for it - the time when our first students who lived with us over the past year would begin to leave us. Gwen and I stood in the airport with our dear friend from northern Asia and said “good-bye,” knowing that she would probably never step foot in our home again. Her year at USC had come to an end and now she would return to her family, her friends, her language, her “normal life.”
We shared a year with her. She went to church with us on occasion, shared birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and the 4th of July. We held Bible studies with her and a few other friends who, together, investigated for the first time the truths of God and His love. We laughed and even cried together and now our time was finished. And as I watched her wave back to us as she climbed the escalator, I was reminded of Jesus’ words in Mark 4:26-28, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself, the soil produces grain - first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.”
You see, we had many meaningful discussions about faith and God. The seed was sown in her heart. Yet we did not get to seed that seed sprout - at least not yet. The joy is found in knowing the good seed of God’s love and hope are sown deep in the heart, and even when I don’t know how or when, I too, have hope. Thank you for sharing in that hope with me!
farewell and welcome dinner
While the pain of saying good-bye is difficult, the joy of saying hello is so sweet. With the departure of our students from last year we are able to welcome new students into our house and our hearts! We have 3 guys now living with us and one gal. This has been a bit of an adjustment (considering that last year all of our roommates were women!), but it is fun to get to know them and the interaction has been rich. We appreciate your prayers and support in this season of change.