Don’t be dismayed by good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends. - Richard Bach
As we prepare to leave Quesnel, we are finding it very difficult to say farewell to people who have meant so much to us over the past five years.
But good-byes do not have to be the end; they are merely a pause in a relationship. As a Christian I believe Jesus Christ when he said, In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. - John 14:2-3.
There is the hope and the joy, for those who are united in Christ, for those who have accepted the gift of salvation, in the understanding that we will live forever. Together we will worship the one who is worthy of our praise, the One who loves us beyond measure.
And so dear friends, thank you and see ya later!
Deb Vanderheyden is a captain in the Salvation Army and has accepted a posting in Fort St. John.
A person stands across from you shaking your hand as they shove you into a cab, to get you onto a plane, to leave someone you love and suddenly they asks as they shut the door, “do you have any last words? Tell us what’s on your mind.”
After these five years it feels a little like that, not because we are being wisked away at a moment’s notice, but because we have called Quesnel home and have made many lasting relationships, met many remarkable people and have been fused into the lives we have been touched by.
Could anyone explain the emotion in detail, or find the right words to articulate not only a moment in the Caribou, but half a decade of building, nurturing, loving and fellowshipping with people that are as real as the surroundings they live in. And how about searching for, and finding, expressions that could capture the very, very great highs and the very deep black depths of some of the lows.
No matter what line a person searching for could come up with, we would always think we would have said the wrong thing. Being a neighbour, a pastor, a jamming buddy, a co-writer, a shoulder to cry on, a shoulder to lean on and just a friend to laugh with has been easy in this city of Quesnel.
Any last words? Only that we are richer because God had found a place for us here. Thank you Quesnel, we have been blessed!
Jim VanderHeyden is a captain in the Salvation Army and has accepted a new posting in Fort St. John.