FINAL GOODBYE

This journey has been a long one for me, filled with many ups and downs, and now that it has finally come full circle and I am in a house in Ukarumpa, PNG, the emotions have flooded over me. There have been many events in my life that I could never understand the reason. Nine years ago, Lissie, John and I were headed for an assignment in PNG when God stepped in and stopped it at the very last moment. For years I tried to understand why that happened, but now the “why” no longer matters since God is sovereign, and His ways are higher than my ways and His thoughts than my thoughts.

Elise had always wanted me to take her to New Zealand to see where I had been while in the Air Force, and I never was able to do that. She wanted so much to go and serve with me in PNG, and that never happened. And now in the last two weeks, I have seen both countries – alone.

Alone, but yet I’m not alone, because Christ has become more real to me now than ever before. He has given me the closeness to Him that I had always longed for.

Today I again said goodbye to Lissie, as I sprinkled some of her ashes in the land she wanted so much to visit. But this world is not my home, and while her loss is still painful, I have a promise that one day I see Him face to face, and He will wipe away all tears.