Loving and Leaving

Of all the countries we visited, we stayed in Jordan for the shortest amount of time: slightly under a month. Being in every country for a longer period of time, I was able to meet incredible people and spend intentional time growing close to them. Yet, as I knew ahead of time, a day would come where I knew I would have to leave them. I remember, prior to leaving for the race, I was talking with someone who went on the race already and he mentioned the hardest thing for him was loving the people knowing he was going to leave. Boy, could he not have been more right! No matter how much I forewarned myself, nothing could prepare my heart for what it was actually like. Each goodbye leading up to Jordan was incredibly difficult, and going into Jordan, I believe I was subconsciously and consciously convincing myself I should simply not get close to any locals…to spare myself of future pain. I also presumed it would be easier since we had less time there. Truly, I convinced myself I did exactly that  until my last couple days there too. While in Jordan, I met many locals through connections, at random stores or while wandering the streets. So many of these wonderful individuals invited us into their homes to show us an abundance of honor and love. Jordanians are exceedingly generous with their time and possessions. They consistently make you feel loved and taken care of. Never once did I enter someone’s home thinking I was not going to leave more full than I came, both from the delicious food and joyous company. There is much more I wish to share about my time in Jordan and all the people we were blessed to meet, but out of respect, we are asked to keep names and details private. More than anything, I want to share with you that I will never regret getting close to the people I have met in each country I visited. Loving, knowing you are leaving, is hard but always worth it. In the short time we had together, I got to learn so much from them and to love them as well as I know how. Better yet, the Lord is showing me his love for his people more and more each and every time I get an opportunity to make a new friend. Thank you Lord that we are not alone in this world and that I get to love and let go. I pray that I will never forget the friends I made in Jordan. I pray that I even get to see them again one day. Until that day, I pray over the time that we had. It was fun, insightful, full of joy, eventful and above all…worth it.