Adios! Ciao! La revedere! Auf Wiedersehn. Das vidanya. Sianara. Goodbye.

Sorry if I sound a little melancholy, but I just realized that the next four months are going to be full of goodbyes. Last year, our departure date was a long way off. Now…our departure date will soon be tomorrow.

We keep squeezing dinners with friends into our schedule…so we can see them one last time. When I leave churches now, I am saying goodbye to a lot of friends, both old and new.

Blessings are not counting in the things you possess, but with the friends you know. We are so blessed with the wonderful friends we have scattered across the world.

Goodbyes to strangers are easy…goodbyes to friends are tough. We are going back to our old church in a couple of weeks…to say goodbye. We will hug our dogs one last time…and say goodbye. We will go to our pastor’s retreat…to say goodbye to our friends.

After awhile, the emotional draw gets tiring! I AM READY TO LEAVE…just to avoid saying goodbye any longer! Long goodbyes are like being stoned with beanbags…doesn’t hurt much but sure gets irritating in the long run!

For many of you, the goodbye is somewhat temporary. We will see you in 2006 or 2011. (But those dates are too far off to be a reality in my mind.) For others, we might never see again. Our old dog won’t last until we return. Some friends might not either!

At the very least, they will move to the far reaches of the country. And a few of you will show up on our doorstep in Moldova, ready to help with some ministry.

Yet the adventure of following Christ also brings an enormous sense of anticipation. We will soon be saying “hello”…to new friends, new comrades, new faces. We are going where God has called us…and we are excited.

I’ll be honest…the next four months will be a little difficult. The day will come when we hug our parents, brothers, sisters, family, and friends…step on the plane…and go.

But for now, I’ll just say… See you later……..it is easier that way.

Your missionaries to Moldova,

Andy Raatz