Things I'm going to miss...

A week from Saturday I will begin my journey back to the United States.  It's crazy to think that I've been here for about ten months and that the time is coming to an end.  It has been hard and fun, frustrating and amazing, lonely and overcrowded, but to sum it all up, I must say I'm so glad I came.  God brought me here for a reason and I look forward to seeing how my time here will effect my ministry later in life.  In light of my leaving, I wanted to make a list of things I will miss, and things I'll be glad to leave behind.

I will miss...

• Cheap, fresh, HUGE vegetables
• Cheap, fresh, HUGE fruit
• Living fifteen minutes from the beach
• Cebiche
• Paying 4 soles for a huge meal (less than a dollar)
• Random conversations with overly friendly taxi drivers
• Mollie, Brueck, Phoebe, and Tirzah (my bible study girls)
• A kiss on the cheek
• Our secretaries, Flor and Elva
• Our SALI director, Fabian and his wife Albertina... oh, and of course little Noah
• Gillian, Heather, Patty, and Julie
• Julton, Oscar, Collin, Jameson, Eddie... (ok, all my Peruvian friends which are too many to list here)
• Juliana, Priscila, Lucia, Rebeca, Dorcus (the Peruana teachers)
• Lucia (our cleaning lady)
• All of the missionary families including their dogs
• Dance class with Marty Bolton
• Jungle food
• Sonia, Scarlet

Things I will not miss...

• Excessive honking
• Over friendly taxi drivers
• Having excessively dirty feet
• Widow makers
• Not being able to drink tap water
• Feeling silly when I can't answer a grammar question
• Being away from my parents
• Getting whistled or kissed at by creepy, old men
• Our dueños

I have to admit that I'm surprised at my lists.  When I was a little frustrated last Christmas, a man from my church in the U.S. who was also doing mission work in a foreign country told me I should make a list of all the things I loved about Peru.  I should have made this list a long time ago as clearly what I love outweighs the bad.  Maybe that's a testament to how we really should do everything without grumbling and complaining as Paul encourages us, and even more how we should try and find the good in every situation.  I've learned a lot here, and will clearly miss a lot as well.  I can't wait to see the people back home, but I will truly miss the people here.  Hasta luego, Peru.  Te extrañaré mucho.