Two months have passed since the announcement. Eight weeks have now dwindled down to a handful of days. Yesterday was my last Monday staff meeting. Today my last weekly outreach meeting with our senior pastor, last coffee-shop meeting with a local ministry partner, last bi-monthly meeting with our wonderful outreach council. This Thursday will officially be my last work day as Outreach coordinator. 10 months in this role, almost to the day.
This coming Sunday, we’ll have two worship services with our Calvary family. Ugly cry guaranteed.
A week from today Mark’s time on staff at Calvary will be completed. I’ll be tied up at the house all that day, as the movers pick up our belongings. A week from tonight we’ll enjoy the evening with our lifegroup. I get a lump in my throat just thinking about the goodbyes. Mark and I will spend next Tuesday night in a nearly empty house on a blow-up mattress, taking down the shower curtain the next morning, locking the door behind us on a house not yet sold.
In the meanwhile, every day and every night, from this moment on is full in a good way. Time is precious, budgeted not for packing, but for people. For ministry to continue through a smooth transition. Our desire and focus has been to finish well and to love well to the last possible moment.
We’re here, until we’re not. And we ain’t gone yet.
There is still work to be done for the kingdom. There are lots of necks to hug in the next 7 days, dear friends who have become family that we want to see before we go. There are more seeds to plant and water until we move on to the next mission field, and although we won’t be here to reap what was sown in the QC, we know that the harvest is coming. It’s just a matter of time.
I don’t want to get ahead of myself and risk missing out on these last moments. Instead, I want to slow way down so we can soak up each and every one.
all4the1 