The dirty truth of goodbyes is that it doesn't matter how good you are at them they always hurt. Where others express pain through tear-filled hugs, my pain manifests itself in a sick feeling rooted deep in my stomach that spreads and aches in every part of my body. It sounds dramatic but it's a feeling I know well.Recently I spent two weeks with 55 amazing Mks and their families in the mountains of Colorado. It was a unforgettable time: we hung out, laughed, shared our experiences and bonded quickly. You haven't witnessed bonding like this until you've met a missionary kid. You would think that we would hold people at arms length because of the goodbyes we say, but here's the funny thing -- we don't and we do. It's a paradox that is hard to explain. It's like we soak up all we can in the time we spend together, going deep quickly but yet very few reach the real people underneath. That might not explain it well but it's the best I can do.
These two weeks of my organization's Personnel Enrichment Program are my favorite time of year but after the time is over I have to say goodbye all over again. This was my 12th year being a part of the staff. Many of the missionary-kid staff asked how I do the program every year when the goodbyes are so hard. One wondered how my sister and I had not become callus to goodbyes since we experience them so often. The only answer I know is that I don't know how we do it. All I can say is that I have had the opportunity to see kids grow up and mature into young men and young women. I get to meet new people every year because kids change a lot in four years. No summer is the same, yet they are all amazing. God has blessed me with friends all over the world. Also, if you haven't met a missionary kid or a third-culture kid, you are missing out. Mks/Tcks are complex human beings, with layers and layers of emotions and experiences. Yes, we can be weird, misunderstood, and hard to relate to at times, but the layers are worth peeling back to see the center. The layers can be broken, sour, bitter, confused and unpleasant but the center, at the heart of it, is always uniquely created and sweet. That's why I do it, I get glimpses of the center and get to share in the lives of people that will one day change the world.
Of course, this doesn't make goodbyes any easier to swallow but I wouldn't want to miss a summer. PEP 2013 was one I will always remember and I have been truly blessed by the kids and young adults I experienced it with.
