Good Times, But Good Byes: Arrows of Influence
Saying goodbye to an IFC student and friend as he, his wife, and children were preparing to return home to East Asia… He and his wife were both students of Jesse’s in his ‘American Beliefs and Culture’ class.
One of the great things about our ministry is that we are constantly getting to meet amazing, interesting, and brilliantly smart people from all around the world. But that's also one of the most difficult parts of our work: lots of new friends means lots of farewells eventually, when friends need to return to their home countries. We are forced to say a lot of 'goodbyes' to dear friends with whom we've shared life, food, conversations, laughs, deep spiritual discussions, and adventures. The joy along the journey together is worth the cost, though, in my opinion. We also rejoice that we are sending out 'quivers full' of arrows of influence and impact, as friends we've invested in return home and impact countless others and invest what we've sowed into them. And these folks aren't just your average Joes. These are cream of the crop, top of the class, highly educated and intelligent influencers. We're so humbled, blessed, and grateful to get to minister to and with them.