So, I know I need to sleep because today (Monday) is bound to be one stinkin long day.  Our last day to wrap everything up before we leave for three weeks.  Hard to believe in 48 hours I'll be on a plane bound for Amsterdam!!  EEEK!

Anyway, I had to write about how incredibly BLESSED I am to be here and have the friends I do.  Tonight, Curly Paul had a "Shrove Sunday" party where he made pancakes and we pigged out on his culinary delights...  crepes, dutch babies, pumpkin pancakes...  you name it!  But, the best part of the whole evening was the fellowship.  I met some new friends and reconnected with some old ones.  We ended up staying until 1 am talking about relationships -- misconceptions we have, things we don't understand, and those ever-torturous "what ifs"...  And, as I drove away tonight, a sense of dread began to grow within me.  A foreboding that I may be required to leave these wonderful brothers and sisters before I am ready.  Can I do it?  Will I EVER be ready to leave them?

I've promised to do what the Lord has for me, and even though I don't know what that is, I know that He has my best interest at heart, and sometimes that will mean sacrifice and giving up some things that I love.  But, the thought of saying goodbye to my family here is almost as hard as saying goodbye to my "real" family back home.  I've bonded with these people, shared in the laughter and tears and frustrations.  They've rooted themselves in my heart, and I'm not so ready to let them go.  BUT, I will follow the Lord wherever He leads, and if that means away from these wonderful people, then so be it.