Furlough "fun"

For those people out there who tend to romanticize the missionary life, I wish I could sit them down and tell them how tough it can sometimes be. There are few things harder in life than leaving the people you know and care about for two years at a time. This past weekend, I was able to spend time with several people who God has used in such huge ways in my life. I had planned to only be there for the weekend because I didn't realize just how hard it would be to leave all of them. I'm not complaining, or looking for sympathy, I'm just trying to be honest. Living for two months out of a room at my parent's house (which is awesome but when you're used to your own little place it's a little tough), and having basically a liquid diet of coffee due to all the coffee rendez-vous that come with furlough definitely help to keep me looking forward to the middle of February when I get to go home and resume a somehow "normal" life. But no matter how much I love the work I do, the continuous confirmation that I know I'm where God has called me to be, and the fact that I love the people I live/work with more than words can say, it's still incredibly hard to say good bye.