17 August 2010
Dear Highlands Family,
Thanks so much for everything you did to help me with my move to Mexico and for sending me off with love and with prayer. My going away party was really a blessing as I felt the love and support of so many brothers and sisters who came and spent time together and prayed for me. I really felt loved and cared for, and that time that we spent together saying farewell has helped me bring closure to my time with you. It was a great way to say goodbye and I will remember it for the rest of my life.
So many of you came around me during the week of my move and provided a tremendous amount of elbow grease to make it possible for me to move quickly. I wish to express my thanks particularly to the following people for their help during that whirlwind week:
to Billy and Gaby Freman for their kind hospitality and for giving me lots of encouragement and practical advice on living in Guadalajara, and also to Billy for coming to my house and helping me unload a couchfull of books.
to Jason Norrell, Drew Carter, Dan and Shanna Hudson, Sarah Rapier, and Enoch Elwell for helping me organize and pack my things. I couldn't have done it without your help!
to Lisa Roerdink and to others who agreed on very short notice to babysit other people's children so that they could help me.
to Lisa Lewis for her helpful advice on clothing and for going to the trouble to go out and get it for me when I didn't have time to do that for myself.
to Kimberly Hutchinson for helping me get my finances in order and for agreeing to facilitate the sale of my car.
to Enoch Elwell and Zach McElrath for coming to my house and loading all of my belongings onto a truck.
to Steve Jones for bringing his pickup truck and hauling things off to the dump and to Goodwill with me.
to Travis for arranging and hosting the going away party.
to anyone not listed above whom I may have neglected to mention.
All of these people gave sacrificially of their time on short notice and worked hard to provide help to a brother who needed it, and I appreciate you deeply. You were the hands and feet of Christ to me, tangible examples of how God loves me and provides for all my needs.
So far I am enjoying my adjustment to life in Guadalajara and am already making new friends and beginning to feel at home. I look forward to coming back to Highlands and seeing you all again in the future. Come and see me in Guadalajara!
Love always,
David
