Time to say goodbye

Fröhliche Weinachten und ein glückliches neues Jahr (Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year) everybody!!

Wow, we really cannot believe December 28th is here already. After almost six months here in Jena, it's time to pack up and go home. Elyse and I have made so many friends and met so many amazing people in our time here, we're finding it really, really hard to have to say goodbye to everyone. First of all, we want to thank all of you for all of your prayers and your support for us while we've been here. We have been so blessed to be able to come here and work and learn for as long as we did. Most of you probably know that we are wanting to come back to Germany full time in the next few years, and this internship was the next major step toward that goal. God has definitely been working in our lives during this time, and we are more sure than ever that Germany is a place where we want to return. Speaking of returning, we actually have some news to share too! This spring, we will be returning to Germany to take part in a week-long conference/retreat for all of the Kontaktmission missionaries. We're really excited to be able to see some of our friends again so soon, but also to be able to continue building our relationship with Kontaktmission and other missionaries around Germany and Europe. We are also going to be helping lead a Kontaktmission trip this coming May. It is the same trip that we went on as students three years ago, and the organization has asked us to come back this summer and lead the trip! So, we plan on keeping this blog up and running for awhile. We'll share news about our progress this spring, and also some more stories from our time here in Jena as we process and reflect on all our experiences. Hope you'll stick around to hear what God has done and continues to do! For now, though, time to finish up the last bit of packing and cleaning the apartment - gotta leave for the train station in 5 hours!!