Last visits

Visiting a different church every Sunday didn't start out easy, considering the driving, the possibility of getting lost, having to speak in public, and pretending to be an extrovert for a few hours. But, over time, and with practice and God's grace, it has become my norm.

And, after several terms on the field, most of my church visits are repeats; the proportion of brand new churches is much smaller. In fact, it has become routine in a sense. I show up. Everyone is excited that I'm there. I give my spiel. People ask a few questions. Different ones come up and say, "We've been praying for you," or they ask a specific question or tell about their experience in Japan or with a Japanese person. There's a good time of fellowship, and then I pack up my display, and invariably end up standing near the exit, talking with someone for awhile.

And then I leave, knowing that we have an ongoing relationship, and that in the next four years, although we will not see each other, they will pray, and I will write, and four or five years later we'll repeat the whole process.



But not anymore.



I'm having to learn a new aspect of the routine. I get ready to leave and then I realize, "These people have been a regular - and crucial - part of my life for 10 or 20 years, and I might not ever see them again this side of heaven."

I haven't figured out what to do with that.