Bittersweet

1: Number of shifts Jenny has left to work
2: Number of places we posted furniture online to sell. (Some has sold quickly-rototiller and park bench within hours, some we are still waiting to sell-kitchen table, sofa.)
3: Number of days Joel has left for work
4: Number of driving days to Nebraska and back (2 each way)
5: Number of totes packed with kitchen things (though, haven't packed the pots and pans yet)
6: Number of years Jenny has worked at A Woman's Place
7: Number of VonTrapp children in "The Sound of Music" who sang "So long, farewell!" (Joel and I once wrote lyrics to a co-worker who left Mozambique to this tune.)
8: Number of 50 pound suitcases our family will take to Honduras (plus a back packs for each of us)

This is a week of goodbyes:

• To A Woman's Place, a place of healing and acceptance for those whose family members treat them with power and control instead of love.
• Life as we have known for the past years. The now familiar rhythms of work, school, church and home
• Alice and Kiki, our cats. We got them as kittens 5 years ago and they have been loved by us and our neighbors who greet them on their walks. They will go to another family with children.

L and Kiki

N and Alice

As I have told several people, it feels bittersweet. It is sad to leave; we did not realize we put down so many roots. It's also exciting to go, to return to working with Mennonite Central Committee and learn about Honduras, improve our Spanish, hear new stories. These emotions are normal. If we didn't feel sad or excited, something would be wrong.

Updates

We accepted another term with Mennonite Central Committee. We will be the MCC Representatives in Honduras. We will live in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. In late March, Joel and I went, met the outgoing Reps, met with all the partner organizations and looked at schools for the kids. We will start our 5-year term in July.

MCC works with local organizations and gives them support in helping their communities through grants and service workers. As MCC Representatives (Reps for short), we will be maintaining relationships with the organizations, overseeing MCC service workers and being the representative for MCC with stakeholder churches (in Honduras that is the Evangelical Mennonite Church of Honduras and the Brethren in Christ).

We have spent almost seven years here in Pennsylvania. Joel is graduating (next Saturday!) with his Masters in International Development from Eastern University. He has done a fantastic job balancing on-line studies with home, work and church over the past two years. He has continued working as a Landscape Maintenance Foreman during his studies. I have worked at A Woman's Place as a Resident Counseling Advocate. A Woman's Place is the only domestic violence organization in Bucks County.

Our count down until we go has begun to intensify. Last night, was a going away party/baby shower/graduation celebration for various people at work. I am so blessed and thankful to work with these amazing women. We have a super supportive team who work hard at providing trauma informed services to people (mostly women) experiencing domestic violence. I am really going to miss my friends/co-workers.