I hate good-byes. Plain and simple, I hate saying good-bye to people who are close to me. My boyfriend always tells me, "it's not good-bye, it's see you soon." Usually he's right, but in regards to leaving New Zealand soon, it is not necessarily true. I may not see some of these faces again until we meet in Heaven.

I was sitting in church this morning taking everything in, trying to come to grasps with the fact that I will soon be leaving this church behind. The realization hit me that by leaving I am following the Lord's will. This fact opens my eyes and my heart to a whole new realization: although it hurts to leave the people and ministries behind, I am following the Lord onto that plane. He's beckoning me to follow Him. He knows that it hurts to leave, but there is something greater that lies ahead - Him!

The beauty of being in the Lord's will, following after Him, is more than I can express. The best part about it though - - it's simple! I just have to say, "Yes." God is my provider, therefore, He will always let me know what my next step is, and all I have to do is say "yes!" God is sooo good! He makes it so simple for me, for you.

Because of how the Lord lead me today, I have made a small jump in my fear of closure and of saying good-bye. I know it is going to hurt to leave, and honestly, I doubt God is going to take that away. The pain I feel will continually remind me of all that occured while I was here. God promises me something besides the pain though; He promises me peace because I am following after Him. That's good news!