Today, June 12, marks exactly one month from my last day in
Central Pennsylvania. As many of you
already know, I will be leaving on July 12 to attend a training session with
One Mission Society, and then three short weeks later I will be on a plane to
my new home. What an incredible past
year this has been, and I am so excited to see all of the pieces fall together
for me to be teaching in a different country within the next two months.
Obviously, I am feeling a wide range of emotions. I’m sitting in the local public library
writing this post, and even here, I have many great memories from the past 22
years. From book sales where my sisters
and I would shove as many books as possible into a box for 5 dollars, to kids
summer reading activities, to finding new music through the massive CD
collection, this library holds a special place in my heart. Down the street is the local movie theater,
where I have seen multiple movies and spent time with many wonderful friends. Just a few miles down this road lies the
tourist district of Hershey: the restaurants, Hershey Park, the Giant Center hockey
arena, which I visited often to see the local hockey team, and Hershey’s
Chocolate World, my place of employment for the last three summers. There are many places in Hershey that I will
miss, and over the next month, I will need to say goodbye to many places I hold
dear to my heart.
Over the next month, I will try to see as many people as I
possibly can, to say goodbye one final time.
I have been blessed with a wonderful group of friends, a supportive and
encouraging church, and a job working with people I value. These meetings will not be easy. As we each go our separate ways, friends
moving away to find new jobs, getting married, leaving Chocolate World, or even
elderly friends from church possibly passing on, I don’t know what each of
these people will be doing when I return.
Will Scott and John still be in my department at Chocolate World? Will Sam be married by then? Will Mr. and Mrs. Eckles, the older couple at
church, still be able to give me a big hug every Sunday morning one year from
now? All of these uncertainties make
leaving my hometown, my country, and my world as I have known it, so much harder.
These situations each describe a “last.” All of these “lasts,” the last time I get to
sit at the library and write, the last time I get to play tennis with Josh, the
last time I go to church and get attacked by hugs from the older folks, the
last time I will talk with Janelle, or Matt, or Cameron, or so many other close
friends face-to-face, for at least a year, are coming soon. It’s a humbling feeling, knowing that all
I’ve known for so long will instantly become such a small part of my life for
the near future.
But just as doors will close, other doors will open, and it
would inaccurately describe my feelings if I just focused on the “lasts”
without the excitement of the “firsts.”
In the South Pacific, I will be teaching in my own classroom, for the
first time in my life. All of the years
of practicing, listening, and studying music, along with four years of college
in music education, have finally lead to this point. I am also excited to earn my first paycheck
in something other than a part-time, summer job, as proof that I’m truly an
adult now. I will be living in another
country, traveling the world by myself, teaching history and Bible in addition
to music, assisting with coaching soccer, and teaching the most ethnically
diverse group of students I have ever and possibly will ever see. These are all “firsts” that I am so excited
about, and even though the idea of change is terrifying, I have a joy and a
peace about the unfamiliar that shows that God is truly in control.
But this article would be incomplete without talking about
the “nevers” as well. “Nevers” are much
harder to see, because these things are not surface level. It’s easy to see that I am leaving Hershey
soon and easy to see that I will be teaching on my own for the first time, but
it is harder to see the “nevers.” I view
“nevers” as the things that will never change even though my whole life is
prepared to do a complete 180. Things
like love and support from my friends and family will never change, regardless
of what country I am living in. I know
that they will always be there, and even though physically I will be further
away, we’re only a skype call or email away from each other. Support from my friend Katie, who has been
such a huge part of me continuing on this journey, will never change. Words of affirmation from my teachers and
professors at Messiah College will never leave my heart. Even though it looks like everything is
changing, there is so much that is the same.
But regardless of the support I have at home, and I am so
thankful for this wonderful group of people encouraging me in this new
adventure, the most important love that will never leave is God’s. I know without a doubt that God is calling me
to this journey, and only through trusting Him will I succeed in all that is
being asked of me. Even though this
adventure will require my life to change drastically, I feel a peace that only
comes from God. This peace only comes
from the “nevers” being stronger than the “lasts” and “firsts” combined. I know that through every transition God is
there, and he is stronger than any challenge I face, so I feel a joy and a
peace I never thought I would feel at this time. This realization, one of just many that show
me God is with me, gives me hope. I know
that many things will change in the coming months. I know that I will miss home, and I know that
it will take a long time for my small classroom to feel like it’s mine. But above all else, I know that God is good,
and even though my world is about to change drastically, His love never will. This is the greatest example of peace and
love that I have ever experienced, and I am so excited to begin this journey.
I am so thankful to everyone who makes leaving the country
so hard. I am so blessed to have
something that makes it so hard to say goodbye.
I am so thankful for the wonderful experiences I will have,
and I pray that I can bless the people I meet over the next year.
But most importantly, I am thankful for having a God who
promises to never leave us or forsake us, even when all things may seem lost
and dark and uncertain. This God, and
the love He has shown me, is the reason why I live move and have my being. May he be praised through the next month, and
more importantly the next year.
Luke Forshey
June 12, 2015
Joshua 1:9- “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for
the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
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