Transitions are a regular and repeating part of my life. They come and go in waves and sometimes overwhelm me. As I was wrapping up things in Davao and preparing to live in the US for a year of home assignment, I wanted to prepare my heart and mind as well. I decided to post a small insight or observation from the day to record my journey for my last 30 days at home. Here's a collection of what I wrote. #last30days
30 days til I leave Davao for NE: I will miss small hardware stores manned by a smiling tindera.
29 days til I leave Davao: Finding community and connections where you thought that they had withered away.
28 days til I leave: Even an honest to goodness "see-ya-later" causes me to tear up.
27 days til I leave: I will miss
🛌 
💤 during 
☔in the 
🌴
24 days left until my departure: I will miss my motorcycle that gives me freedom to go anywhere, and I'll even miss the funny looks I get when people realize that a white girl is driving.
23 days left till I leave Davao: Loss reminds me that things that seem permanent aren't, so I need to
put my hope in my eternal God.
21 days til I leave Davao: Sari-sari stores--a perfect place to pick up the garlic I forgot to add to the market list and to strike up a conversation with a neighbor.
19 days until furlough starts: An early start to a long day at school is more bearable when there's others to work with and time with good friends to end the day.
18 days til furlough in NE: Nearly empty closets make me feel both accomplished and empty inside.
16 days to furlough: Caught in the middle of "I'm leaving so I need to pass tasks on to the next person," and "There's so much to be done and I'm not gone yet."
15 days left until I leave Davao for a years furlough: Half way there! I will miss serving parents and colleagues.
14 days left: In transition, alone-ness rears it's ugly head and it stinks! But I'm so thankful for the multiple communities I belong to!
Day 12: Like a tongue returns to a new filling, so my thoughts seem to always come back around to "Is this the last time I'll ever get to...?"
11 days until I leave: Last night in my house. What a blessing this place has been!
Day 9: Even a LONG day on little sleep in the midst of a depressing circumstance feels less burdensome when you can laugh with friends!
8 days left until I board a plane: There's nothing like a good cry to tire you out and to make the world seem better.
6 days til furlough: Enjoying the pool at the end of the day. Thankful for friends who let me use their extra bedroom by the pool.
5 days (or is it 4 since it's after midnight?): Genuine care is a 3 course (2nd two shown here) meal painstakingly and lovingly cooked just to treat me!
4 days to go before getting on an airplane: The chaos of packing is real!
2 days left: One last ride home in the rain, the kind of rain where you are soaked in less than 2 seconds.
TODAY I leave Davao for a 1 yr furlough in NE: So thankful for my 16 years here and the lives that have impacted mine. Who knows what the next 30 days will hold?
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