Goodbyes :(

We have made many friends since we joined the Army 2 1/2 years ago. We have already seen many come and go and have grown accustomed to the 'revolving door' in our community. It's just how the military life is. We came to S.Korea two years ago, our first duty station. During our time here we grew very close to three wonderful families. Three families who ALL PCS (permanent change of station/move away) this month. We said goodbye to two of them tonight and the last one we'll say goodbye to in two weeks. Two years ago I never would have thought that I would meet people while we were here in Korea that I would ever call some of my best friends, but I did. These three women and their families have made such a difference in my life. They've inspired me, encouraged me and have been there for me when everyone else in the world that I loved was thousands of miles away on the other side of the world. They have been my family and support and are some of the greatest people I've ever known. I will miss them terribly!

This Easter was the last time that we were all together here in S.Korea...

Jason, Jocelyn, Peter, Me, Mike, Kim, Carrie and Nick

So tonight we had to say our goodbyes, and that was very sad. But what was even more heart wrenching was watching our kids have to say goodbye. Our sweet, tenderhearted Joshua burst into tears when we told him it was time to go. He gave each of his friends a big hug and told them he was going to miss them so much! Joy cried all the way home. Faithy kept asking, "Will we ever see them again?" They are old enough to understand now what it means when someone is moving away and their little hearts were breaking to have to say goodbye to some of the closest friends they've ever known. These people have become such a huge part of our lives. We see them several times a week, sometimes almost everyday. They have become like family to us. There will definitely be a void in our lives with them gone.

Our adorable kiddos after the egg hunt on Sunday

I know that God has called us to this life in the military and that means lots of moving around and lots of goodbyes, but it breaks my heart to see my kids have to go through this. They have made some amazing friends here. God has truly blessed all of us with friendships in these families that I pray will last a lifetime. We've had some people tell us that "you get use to it" being in the military and moving around so much, and maybe it will get easier. But these friends are very special and now having gone through it, this is definitely my least favorite part about being in the military.

I'm praying that God will heal our saddened hearts and continue to grow our friendships even as we all scatter to different parts of the world. I hope our paths will cross again and that we'll get to experience life together in another place. I'm so thankful for the time we have had with each of these families, they have blessed us in so many ways! God has been so good to us and we will treasure all the fun times and great memories we've made with them.  :)