Going Away

This evening our church hosted a going away party for us at Sterling Lake. The wind was blowing which kept the mosquitoes away and kept us a little cooler. It was fun to get to see some people one more time before we leave, however, it was also very hard. The people at church have been our family over the past 7 years! As hard as it was for me to be so far from our family in Texas, it was made a little easier with the love and friendship that was showered on us by people at church.

Here are a just few pictures (and memories) from tonight (and the past 7 years).

Jan has been a good friend to me. We've been on several ladies retreats together and been in many Bible studies together. She's led a lot of the in home Bible studies that I attended and I always learned so much from her. She has been a Titus 2 woman to me in every essence of the passage! Thank you Jan for sharing your heart with me!
Marvin & Fleda have sat in front of us at church for several years. She is so involved in the different women's ministries at church and has inspired me to do the same. She always has a smile on her face and a hug for the kids.

Tom is one of 3 brothers that Mike became friends with while we lived in Sterling. Tom and Christy (along with their six kids Luke, Keena, John, Camille, Natalie, and Adam) are so much fun to be around. Keena (in the green shirt) was one of my very first Cubbies (she was 3 years old). I've also been blessed to get to teach John, Camille, and Natalie! Tom was always willing to offer a helping hand (or equipment) as we were building our house. In fact, the day that my parents came to take me and Brody to Texas he was the one that rescued us when the Durango slid into a muddy field! The were many days that we were the last ones to leave the church parking lot and it was because Mike was talking to Tom (and usually Chris).

Teri's brother, Bill, and his wife, Paula, moved to town a few years ago. They jumped right into serving at church. They took care of Mike for me and sent home leftovers after Wednesday night dinner (at church) several times while I've been in TX. They have also become the proud owners of an amazing labrador retriever, Remington. We made the very difficult decision that it would be in Remington's best interest to let him continue living the life of a country, hunting dog rather than constrain him to a small square of grass in the city. They will be giving Remington a new home and I'm sure Bill and Chris will make sure Remy still gets to hunt.

Our preacher, Tim, and his son, Titus, had to leave early, but we got a picture with Brandy, Maddy, and Carlie. The Elsners come to Sterling from Nebraska a few years after we moved here. Even thought I've taught all the kids, I still can't remember if I spell the girls' names right! lol. Brandy is the prime example of a woman with a gentle and quiet spirit. She is such a compassionate person and always makes you feel like she cares about any and everything you have to tell her. She has been a wonderful leader in our women's ministry. I always love hearing her perspective on things we've discussed in our women's Bible studies.

When the dark of night arrived (and it was way past Brody's bedtime) we finally forced ourselves to say goodbye to our wonderful friends. We climbed into our car and drove away from Sterling Lake for the last time (as residents). We drove home to spend one final night in our Log Cabin in the Plains.