I'm coming home, tell the world that I'm coming home

      This is weird.  There are so many thoughts and emotions going through my head as I sit here thinking about what to write in one of my last blog entries and I don't know where to start.  Or if I really want to write it all out.  But I guess I'll start with my past week like usual...


      This was moving week for the tenKellernathy's.  Andrew left on furlough last Tuesday, so the Postema's place was ready for it's next inhabitants.  It's only like a 5 min walk from our old place, but with all our heavy junk, it seems a lot farther.  On Tuesday, Kristie literally printed out a schedule for the day and handed one to each of us.  They were in the layout of the daily camp schedules and planned out out day of packing and cleaning and moving.  I messed up the schedule and had a last date with Delia, my language teacher, to catch up on the summer and say goodbye.  We took a couple loads in suitcases down that day, but started the real moving on Wednesday, when we recruited Boing to help us carry the heavy stuff and to drive Hillary up and down the road.  He was pretty much awesome and I don't think we could have done it without him.  Getting the stuff out of the old apartment was easy, considering there is an elevator to bring everything down the 4 floors.  But the Postema's bloc unfortunately does not have an elevator, and has a staircase that seems to never end, even when I'm not carrying super heavy suitcases up them.  So on what felt like the hottest day of the summer, all 4 of us were sweating like crazy as we lugged 2 van loads of stuff up the 4 stories.  Let's just say workout of the month.  Then we tried to put together Jenny's "cloud" aka loft bed, which wouldn't clear the ceiling when we tried to stand it up, and then proceeded to literally fall apart.  Sorry cloud, but you were not meant to be moved a bunch of times.  At then end of the day, it was all worth it as we sat on the amazing terasa smechera and watched the sunset as we ate pizza and milkshakes.  The rest of the week consisted of organizing, cleaning, and unpacking all the junk that Kristie and Jenny own.  


      On Thursday I went to the baby hospital for the last time.  Thankfully, most all of my babies were still there and I got to see them again.  I really had to stop my mind from thinking about it too much, but after a couple hours, I just had to leave and say some quick goodbyes.  I have loved serving there and loving on those unloved babies.  But it just breaks your heart over and over again.  On Friday after Jenny's lesson, we headed out to IKEA to get some missing items for the apartment.  It was my 1st IKEA experience and I definitely think Lynchburg needs to get one!  And you get hot dogs for 1 leu (30 cents) and free refills on drinks (which pretty much doesn't happen ever in Europe)!  Then after dealing with stupid internet issues for a couple hours, we all needed something to make us not grumpy, so we made velveeta cheese dip and butterfinger milkshakes (yep can't get either of those here) and watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  Let's just say we were cheered up haha.  Then Jenny and I found out about our mutual love for Golden Girls and we once again died laughing as we watched an episode or 2.  I truly am going to miss living with Jenny and Kristie... we have so many adventures and laughs and stories together.  I'm grateful that they took me in when I was homeless and it's been a blast all living together.  They are 2 amazing women of God who challenge and encourage me and have become my closest friends here in Romania.  Ok I need to stop talking about them because it literally just brought tears to my eyes knowing I have to say goodbye to them in just a few short hours.  But thankfully, the internet works here now and I know they'll always only be a skype call, vonage call, textfree call/text, or facebook message away!


      Saturday Jenny and I took our newest ABWE member, Johanna, on a tour of the important things of the city.  The cheapo 13 lei stores, of course!  We walked around Obor, Unirii, and Lipscani and ended up eating a meal platter at an outside table at Caru cu Bere, the most famous & best authentic Romanian restaurant in Bucharest!  It was a pretty awesome setting, and it was great getting to know Johanna better!  Sunday was my last time at Alfa Omega, and although it still wasn't up to normal attendance (the month of August everyone is on vacation & the city pretty much shuts down!) I'm so glad there were more people there than it's been lately.  After church, we went downstairs for communion, and then Soterius turned the spotlight on me again.  Of course I got bright red as he was talking about how I needed to listen closely to hear when God was telling me to come back to Romania, and that they would keep in touch with me, and that certain boys should keep in closer touch with me!  He pretty much told me to come back and marry someone from Alfa Omega, and then asked David (the tall one that everyone's always trying to hook me up with) to pray for me and my travels.  Oh Soterius... He asked if I wanted to say anything to the group, and all I could get out was "Thank you so much for being my church family here and I love you guys..." before I started to get choked up. Then afterwards as everyone was coming up to me and saying goodbye and leaving me their last couple words, the tears came.  It may be horrible, but I'm almost glad not everyone was at church and I didn't get to say goodbye to a lot, because saying goodbye to that smaller group was rough enough!  I really am so thankful for facebook and skype, because although it won't be the same, I can still communicate with all of them!  And of course, I'll be back!  (Probably next summer with a team from my youth group!  And I'll hopefully stay longer too!! :]) 


      Today is a weird day, and my mind woke me up at 8:30 with so many thoughts.  I just feel an anxiousness, knowing that my entire world is changing again in just a few hours.  I met up with Jess Graef and Jess Capota for my last Dristor shaorma, and we ended up sitting outside and talking for a couple hours.  Then we met up with Amy at McCafe, talked so much more, and then hit up some sales at a couple stores.  It was great having some "American girls" time and I'm really going to miss those girls!  Then the remaining ABWE team, which is now down to the Graef's, Kristie, Jenny, and Johanna and will be losing me and Jess tomorrow, gathered for my "last supper" at Gela's.  She is an amazing cook and always spoils me and feeds me every time I walk in the door of their apartment!  After dinner, Jenny and I taught the rest of the gang the Cupid Shuffle (random I know) and we learned that Gela never danced in front of her mirror growing up.  Instead she witnessed to her shampoo bottles and practiced her testimony on them!  Oh Gela... I love her. She's one of a kind!  Then I got serenaded by Kristie and Jenny's beautiful rendition of "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston, which brought tears to my eyes I was laughing so hard.  We had one last performance of "City on our Knees" by Toby Mac, our song of the summer, and then Boing and Laura came over to say goodbye.  They had some sort of power issue, of course, and we ended up finishing our party by candlelight.  Then Boing took us gals down to Real, which we just found out is open 24/7!, so I could buy Viva and Milka chocolate to take home with me.  Oh and I also found a new book to read in Romanian called "Jenny" that is about a girl who is from Georgia, and the description on the back and the random pictures on the cover are so Jenny!  Random find of the century.  Anyways, I had an awesome last day in the city with people I love, and who kept me busy enough so I wouldn't be a mess!  


      I'm almost done packing, and it's 2:30 am.  Now I need to weigh everything... yay.  I'm just planning on not sleeping tonight and hoping it will help me with the jet lag.  I think I'm ready.  Both physically and emotionally.  Or as prepared as I can be I guess. I just know it's God's perfect timing.  And I know it's going to be such a transition period in my life, figuring out how much I really have changed and grown, reestablishing friendships, and figuring out what adventure God has next for me.  I know it's not going to be easy, but I know that God will be with me and guiding me every step of the way, and that He will give me the grace I need every day.  I just need to remember to draw my strength from Him and continue to trust Him with my life.  


      I don't really know what else to say.  I can't put into words how much I've loved my time here and how much I love all of my family and friends here.  Anything I try to say about how much I've learned and grown and experienced just would do it justice.  So I'm just going to leave it at that.  Someday when I can see all of these things clearer, I should write them down.  These 8 months have flown by and I'm so thankfully for every minute of it.  I still can't believe my plane leaves in like 4 hours and I will be back on the other side of the ocean.  I'm so psyched to see all of my friends and family on the other side!  It's going to be so fun catching up with everyone after being apart for so long.  But I'm dreading saying goodbye to the Graef's and Kristie and Jenny in the morning.  It's just not going to be fun and I'm going to be a mess.  Anyways, I'm babbling once again.  So goodbye Romania. Te iubesc foarte mult.  And the next blog will be from the other side of the ocean!