A Tearful Goodbye to Palapye

Can I say one more time that I can't believe my time in Botswana has come to an end? God has taught me so much during these 2 years and I am more than grateful to have had the opportunity to serve Him in Palapye, Botswana. I am a different person than I was when I stepped off of an airplane into this dry and dusty land on January 4th, 2006. I pray that I will never forget the lessons God taught me about patience, relationships, and taking up my cross daily. I can't believe I have to leave my friends here without knowing if I will ever see them again on this earth - but I am so thankful for all they have taught me and for the way they have blessed my life. I am excited to see my friends and family back home and for the new opportunities God has for the future, but for now my heart breaks as I say goodbye to this land that I have come to call home. These words are from Philippians and are my prayer for my friends in Botswana:

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus...And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God."

~Philippians 1:3-6, 9-11