Ok, so it's not really a final goodbye, per se. I know I'll be back. I just don't know when exactly. So it's going to be more like, "So long, Costa Rica. Catch ya later for coffee sometime." That makes it much easier, thinking of it as only leaving for now. Yes, I like that very much.
And just to say it, I have had the time of my life here this past year. Ok, thank you Captain Obvious. But seriously, I cannot express how amazing and life changing this year has been. For one thing, my hair is longer, I'm a coffee addict and I like to play soccer. That is a completely different Kelsey from before :). On a more serious level, I've learned more about who I am and what it means to live out my faith, to seek justice for those whose voices are silenced, to love those who are shunned and different. I have been challenged in nearly everything I believed in, and I've become stronger because of it. And not only stronger, I've become more alive. I've never felt this alive in a very long time, ready to face the world, to learn more, to do something. I'm excited to see what this coming year has in store for me, that's for sure!
So what do I get to look forward to in these coming days, weeks, months? Well, to boil it down: a lot! Friday I fly to San Salvador, El Salvador for a few day stop to visit the first Central American country I visited (outside of Costa Rica) and see some very good friends of mine. From there I'll hop on a bus and go north to Guatemala City to spend time with friends, quick have a couple work meetings with Jim, Rachel and Co. and participate in the first Masters intensive with my fellow classmates (btw, I made it into the Urban Ministries Masters program--yay!). From there Rachel and I will meander our way north through Mexico by bus, stopping several times along the way to meet up with friends and acquaintances and seeing what their ministries are up to. If all goes well we should hit the Mexico-California border before Christmas. If not, well, we'll just have to hunker down with some friends and spend Christmas with them Mexico style :) I'll then spend some time with Rachel family in California before finally making my way home to Michigan soil. Ummm, I mean snow. So I'll be seeing all of your pretty, frost bitten faces sometime in early January. Someone please bring a winter coat for me to the airport! And mittens. And a hat. And maybe a hot water bottle and one of those electric blanket things. Thanks!
Please pray for safe travels, for Rachel and I to have a blast, and for the bus rides to not be too terribly long and boring. Please also pray for me as I come to the end of my time here. I hate goodbyes, let alone goodbye parties, and this week is going to be chucked full of them. Please pray that I'll be able to find joy through the tears and comfort in the thought that it's not a goodbye for good. Just for now.
See you all when I get back!
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