Loved

My Sabbath School class threw me a farewell party. :)

While anticipation of the unknown is daunting, the thought that continues to pervade my mind above all others is this: I have been encapsulated by love.

What does it mean to encapsulate? Well, one definition is to be "enclosed by a protective coating or membrane." And that is precisely how I feel.

Over the past month of final preparations, friends and family have showered me with phone calls, thoughtful cards, gifts (some even sacrificial), hugs, encouragement, prayers, quality time, birthday surprises, "going away" parties, and more. I cannot even begin to describe how much I have been blessed. I feel as though, no matter what happens to me in the next several months, I will be protected. If I don't make any friends, if I discover that teaching ESL is not one of my specialties, if I starve from picky eating, if I have a miserable experience, the memory of home and the love of those there will lessen or even shatter all pain and sorrow.

When I was a child, I doubted that I would ever have a true friend--one that I could trust and rely on, and one who would enjoy spending time with me. Today I am awestruck as I declare that God has blessed me with more dear, true friends than I can count. I love every one of them--each for his or her own personality, character, and influence in my life.

Proverbs 18:24b holds true for me: "There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Although I don't have any biological brothers or sisters, I count all of my friends brothers and sisters in Christ, no matter their age or background. They have made life in this world happier and have given me a glimpse of the greater joys to come in a world made new.

I look forward to the day when God "will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4). And we will never have to part again.