Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Goodbye Richmond

I have 8 more days of work.
I will be living in Richmond for 11 more days.
Please pray for me to not be overwhelmed during the next two weeks and to trust God to provide.

Up until this weekend, I was operating with a vague idea of leaving Richmond some time in the future. I would still see friends and colleagues several times, and I had time to close out the details of my life in Richmond.

This weekend however, leaving Richmond became real. I will worship at WEPC only one more time. I am making plans to say goodbye to the friends who have been a blessing to me over the last few years.

In this midst of saying goodbye to friends, the details of leaving Richmond rapidly became overwhelming. Preparing to leave for Sudan in April has proved to be a challenge. There are several times over the next few months when I will have possessions in three states. The trick is having the right things with me at the right times. =)

I also have not purchased a 2009 planner yet. This has caused considerable chaos. I make lists in my planners, and I don't have a list of the things that need to get done before I leave yet. (Hopefully I will pick up a planner today!)

All of a sudden I was caught between a desire to spend time with friends and enjoy their company, and manage a move to Florida the day after my last day of work. I felt for sure that something would get dropped. I would forget to cancel the electricity, or leave my cell phone charger in one of the boxes of things I am leaving in Richmond. (none of which would be a disaster)

Well that was an opportunity for me to realize that I had really become anxious about all the details and for me to ask for prayer. I was trusting God to provide my remaining financial support, but I hadn't been trusting God with all the details of the next few months.


Leaving Richmond is an exciting landmark because it means I am that much closer to leaving for Sudan. In two weeks, I will be in transition. Some things will remain constant and stable but most will be changing rapidly.

In a Gilmore Girls episode Rory says the following about goodbyes. (Yes, I am a Gilmore Girls fan)

"There's nothing good about a goodbye. It's a poorly named ritual. It was a bad bye. A very bad bye."

Well I disagree. I think that goodbyes can be good. I pray that my goodbyes in Richmond will be good, all in their own unique ways.

1 comment:

Beverly said...

Reading your post reminds me of when I went to Haiti the first time. It also reminds me that it's good to be young when you're doing all this and can keep several things going on in your mind as well.

I'll be praying for you as you make this transition to Sudan.

I've never seen the Gilmore Girls, but I like the quote. I used to hate good-byes, but then I realized that as I moved on, new friends would await, and the old friends would still be there.