Final Day

I don’t even know how to begin to write about this day. I guess I’ll start with the easier stuff.

I got to sleep in a bit since our first thing didn’t start until 9:30. We had our English party with our ladies under the tents. We passed out certificates and pictures and then had cookies and juice while watching a slide show of videos and pictures of our time here. As we were handing out certificates and pictures I didn’t think I’d cry, but just receiving hugs from some of those ladies and seeing how sad they were made us cry.

After our party we went back to Kabwata with Dee to buy more stuff. J Since we had so much extra room in our suitcase we wanted to fill it with cool African stuff, plus we needed to use up all the rest of our kwacha. We were so successful! I got some more great things and I am so excited to decorate my future apartment with them! Dee treated us to lunch at the Mint at the Arcades mall. It was the cutest little café! I had a chicken, pineapple and haloumi cheese sandwich with a little side salad. It was super delicious!

In the afternoon we started making rounds of thank-yous we wanted to deliver. We gave Christine hers and then tried finding Mr. Zulu to give him a picture but he went home because he wasn’t feeling well. We were so sad that we didn’t get to say goodbye to him! We tried Pastor Kawiliza next but he wasn’t home. Then we walked to Pastor Mutentami’s house. He was there along with his wife and Maggie. He talked a lot about how positive our time here has been, so many nice things to say. Then he finished with a prayer and that’s when I lost it. It’s so sad to say goodbye to people who have become your family! The short walk back to campus was embarrassing because we looked like blubbering idiots.

When we got to campus things got better because we saw the kids and started playing with them as usual. It was kickball day. At first we just snuggled some kids and watched the older kids play. Then the preschool kids came over with Charity and we suspected something was up. They all made cards for us! Erika’s kids each made her one, and my younger munchkins all made me one. Charity and Bridgette taught them how to say “I love you teacher”, so as they handed us the cards they all said that to us. Melted my heart. Then they all piled around me for a huge hug. It was so sweet. Charity prepared a song and sang it for us saying the words were from the kids. It was about how much they would miss us and to remember them.

As kickball got into full swing the ladies all started showing up. We thought they were coming to say goodbye already but it turns out they wanted to play kickball, so they joined in the game. It was so cool to have them all there playing too! As usual, I sat on the grass and watched and just soaked in every last minute that I could with the kids. I had Corn, Brian, Maggie and Aubrey hanging around me. Even though they’re so young I doubt they really knew what was happening, but to me it just seemed like they were more snuggly and affectionate to me, as if they knew this was our last time to play together. For a while, as I was playing with them, I almost forgot it was our last day, it seemed so routine and normal. As the kickball game ended the mood shifted. This was it. We only had 20 minutes before we had to leave for town and our farewell dinner with the missionaries. The tears instantly started up again. Hugging all our ladies goodbye was torture. Seeing their tears made it worse. Regina and Sarah’s tears streaming down their face. Parksen and Bertha’s hugs and sniffles as they refused to let go of the embrace. Monica’s attempt at giving us the best gift she could: a sum of money. That touched my heart so much. She gave whatever she could just to show her appreciation to us in some tangible way, but of course we refused her money. Just the fact that she showed that thankfulness was way more than we deserved.

At first the kids seemed confused as to why everyone was crying and then they caught on. I went around to all the kids giving them a hug and a kiss and saying goodbye. I will never forget these next 20 minutes. The things that broke my heart even more were when Mwandida just burst into uncontrollable crying as I was hugging her. How can you be OK after that? Or when Given, big, happy, 13 year old Given had tears in his eyes as he asked us desperately, “will you be back, teacher?” “when are you coming back??” and not being able to give him an answer. Or when Sam just walked around aimlessly with his hands over his face crying. Or when Miriam sniffled with quiet tears streaming down her face. With sweet Pimbi’s eyes that said it all, staring at us like she can’t believe we are having this sad goodbye. But amongst all the tears the thing that kept me from completely breaking down was having the little munchkins like Corn sitting on the ground wiping dirt on his face while giggling…being completely his normal self because he doesn’t understand what is happening.

Finally after we had rounded up most of the kids that we were missing to say goodbye, some of the husbands came out; Regina’s, Parksen’s and Sarah’s husbands came out and kept expressing how much we have helped their wives and children and how they will all miss us. It was very sweet of them.

We weren’t able to see absolutely everyone after kickball but at least at some point of the day we saw everyone to say goodbye. That was it then; time to walk back to our guest house.

With a quick stop to see Uncle Ernie. He met us at the classroom buildings and gave us a very sweet card and said goodbye. Aunt Margie was still working so we called her after to supper to say bye.

As we walked down the gravel driveway to the campus gate I kept glancing back to get my final glimpses of the children that have captured my heart. There are no words to describe the feeling. The sun was just setting and campus was quiet except for the kids all standing in the driveway, occasionally waving. But the sound of their cries I will never forget.

We hurried back to try to clean ourselves up a bit before heading into town. Originally we were planning on going to evening chapel on campus at 6 to say the final goodbyes but we found out we actually had to leave the house at 6 to get to town by 6:30 for our farewell supper.

We went to Rhapsody’s with the Birners, Sargents, Hartmanns and Dave and Dee. Even though I was exhausted from the emotional goodbyes I think I was glad to go out and have something to distract me. Supper was very enjoyable! The food was great. I had Kingklipper fish on a bed of mashed potatoes, which were delicious. We had great conversation and Sue gave us cute little gifts as reminders of our adventure with her in Kafue. We also got chocolate bars from the Hartmanns—a little inside joke. When they were living with us at our guest house for a week during CELC Pastor played a little joke on us by hiding our chocolate. Pastor Sargent also gave us some LCCA chitenjes, which was very nice. I’m so happy to have one!

When we got home we went over to D&Ds for a bit so Erika could print some stuff and then we headed home for the last time. We have some final packing to organize and hope to load the truck with our suitcases tonight.

What a surreal and emotionally exhausting day. I can’t believe our time has already come to say goodbye to everyone. I feel like we just got here. I cannot remember the last time I felt this broken hearted. I love everyone here and the relationships I’ve made with the families on campus have been such a blessing to my life. They truly are my African family and not knowing when I will see them again next is such a hard thing. Leaving this continent is also hard. Africa is my home. Goodbyes have got to be one of the hardest things to do on this earth. The comfort in all of this sadness is knowing that if I don’t see these people again in this life, I will see them again in our eternal life in heaven.