We'll see you again, soon, Jana

Tomorrow morning and the coming weeks and months are going to be lonely for our family.  Not only will we miss a dear friend, but we'll be missing part of our team.  Jana's position will be difficult if not impossible to fill. 

She was willing to fly to two different countries to help teach our children Spanish and help them with the cultural transitions they faced.  Additionally, she ministered in the church and helped Mark and me with our Spanish whenever we needed clarification or when we gave her a look that pleaded, "I have no idea what she said.  Please. Help."

During her five months of service she lived in four different locations and learned countless bus routes.  She had her own difficult transitions to navigate, but she always made time to help us with ours.

Life is hard, but sometimes even the most difficult circumstances seem possible to overcome when Christians work together in harmony.  Jana can speak Spanish fluently, play instruments, sing, teach, counsel.  But her greatest strength is working with others on a team by faithfully serving when a need appears without having to be assigned or thanked later.  Her gifts and her experience seemed tailored to fill the needs on the mission field.  It has been a pleasure to work with her.

The greatest challenges Mark and I have ever faced have been the FARO course/final exams at the Spanish Language Institute and also the transition to Uruguay. God knew we would need help! 

We researched the committee's handbook on Missionary Associates and emailed other veteran missionaries about their experiences, but we never expected that the hardest part about working with an MA would be saying goodbye.