Our departure day is here!

We have thought about this day for over a year now, how it would feel to say goodbye to everything familiar, get on an airplane at Ohare airport, and watch the Chicago skyline disappear one last time. Now that it’s happening it feels surreal!

This past month we’ve stayed at 9 different places in 6 different states; IL, OH, PA, IN, NE, CO. We’ve been able to have a lot of fun memories followed by many goodbyes.

At our training at MTI, one of the teachers told us it should hurt to say goodbye.  He explained that when we are loved well, and we love well in return, it hurts to say goodbye.  As we look back at our last month it has hurt to say goodbye.  We have been well loved by you, thank you.  Our hope is that you have felt our love as well.

When we returned from our youth discipleship trip to Colorado on Sunday, it hit me that there were more goodbyes to give.  As I hugged each youth and said goodbye I knew that I was no longer going to be their youth pastor.  I fought back the emotion for the first 15 hugs but then that lump in the back of my throat developed that makes it hard to speak.   I will miss each of you and it was a privilege to be your youth pastor.

Today is the day we have prayed for, the day so many of you have prayed for with us.  We are so excited to begin this new adventure and feel thankful to be sent out by you to make much of Christ’s name to the nation of Kenya.

Psalm 105:1,3-5a,7a
1Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
3Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.
5Remember the wonders he has done….
7He is the Lord our God;

Items for prayer and praise:

Travel: Pray that our flights would go smoothly and all of our 28 bags would make it safely to Kenya.

Transition: Pray that we would adjust and settle in quickly to our new home in Kenya.

Relationships with Naomi’s Village: Pray that God would help us to develop meaningful relationships with the kids and staff.    
 

For His Name,
Mark and Liz Sisler