To quote the amazing early 90s R&B group Boys 2 Men, “It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.”
I am sitting in the Seoul, Korea airport right now. We left Weihai this morning and have made the first of three flights before we land at DFW airport.
Saying goodbye yesterday to all our new friends - Chinese and American - was extremely difficult. In fact, it was much more difficult that I imagined. There were a lot of tears and emotions. It is amazing how hearts can connect so deeply in such a short amount of time. I kept reminding all of our emotional students (including myself) that intimately connecting and investing in those Chinese students’ lives was well worth the tears and negative emotions that results after making that choice and having to say goodbye. Loving and investing in people is always worth it!
I sat back for over an hour and watched the American students and Chinese students interact as different groups were having to leave at different times. What I saw was unbelievable. The life I saw in the Chinese students’ eyes was so different from day one. The smiles, hugs, and tears were incredibly genuine. It was a powerful moment. Lives were changed. I am so humbled to be able to be a part of something that is literally changing the world.
Last night we enjoyed a night out on the town. We got to shop in a lot of Chinese stores and look for souvenirs for loved ones at home. We ended up eating somewhere familiar at the mall for dinner - McDonalds. A very special “THANK YOU” to Carol and Sherry, who are two amazing Chinese college students from my small group, that made sure we did not get lost, bargained for us, and simply took care of us. I love these girls so much (SEE PICTURE). We got back on campus and enjoyed birthday cake for Kirsten McMillan’s birthday. It was a great day.
We are scheduled to return to DFW airport on Monday, July 28 at 8:05pm on United Airlines Flight 6219 flying out of Los Angeles. Would love to see as many people as possible at the airport to welcome us home.
Here are some pictures from our last day (including some powerful goodbye pictures)…
