Allan and I have spent many hours in the last 14 days going through our belongings and deciding which to keep and which to give away. It's amazing how our earthly treasures often looked like trash after being stored in a cardboard box in the tropics for 15 months. When we left the US 4 and 1/2 years ago, we left very little behind. Most things, we either got rid of or shipped here. We came to the Philippines for what we thought was a lifetime and therefore brought many sentimental things along. We leave taking with us 13 suitcases/boxes, roughly 520 lbs of stuff. So what does the last 18 years of our marriage condense to? The kids Christmas ornaments and other special Christmas decor, the clock Allan gave me for my birthday and Mother's Day during medical school, a few pictures, a few dishes given to us when we married, some Filipino mementos, and some toys and things special to the kids. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to let things go. My dear friend Ling Ling took all my dishes. She wanted something new and said these would remind her of us when she used them. Others came and chose things they needed or wanted. It was nice to be a blessing to those Filipinos involved in our ministry.
Today we had a final clinic lunch. It was a surprise despadeta for us. That's a going away party. 16 people were there to share with us some final words. There were lots of tears, some sweet prayers, and a wonderful time of sharing memories. It was a precious time. These people mean so much to Allan and I. There are many things about the Philippines we won't miss; the traffic, the heat, the noise at night, drunk karaoke, but we will truly miss these dear friends; times spent eating meals and sharing fellowship on our lanai; investing our lives together.
Tomorrow we will board a plane and close this chapter of our life. It's tough to leave it behind. In many ways we are still in the grieving process. We know God has a plan for the future even though it doesn't seem to make sense to us now. We leave trusting the same promise that we trusted when He led us here:
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
Tonight's final sunset overlooking Manila:
