upon my last day in Geneva

I am moving to Jerusalem tomorrow.

As you might know, Sam Fiore has been in Israel for the past 3 weeks taking classes and getting the apartment ready for us. It was with a big smile and a breath of relief on my and Michelle's part that we welcomed him home on Thursday. These past three weeks have been some of the longest of my life, and Michelle had it much worse than me. Thankfully, I was able to take a bit of a break and travel around the Loire Valley with Melissa and her boyfriend. It was the perfect last trip before going to Jerusalem. And, if you are under 25, you should totally try to visit all the castles because you only have to pay the reduced fare! Of course, if you live in America, it probably wouldn't be worth the discount if you have to fly across the ocean, but it was quite nice for me. So, 10 castles, 2 churches, and a couple bottles of French wine later, I sent Melissa and Daniel back to the states and I headed back to Geneva for my last week.

And now it's my last day. Geneva is going to miss me.

This morning was chilly and wet as I drove to church. And there was also a fly in the car that kept buzzing around my face- it was terribly infuriating. I really couldn't get my mind focused. And the rain kept pouring down on my windows....then I'd go through a tunnel and it would stop. Then rain. Tunnel. Pouring rain. Tunnel. Fly in my face. Then rain. Tunnel. You get the idea. Very distracting as a driver. I had my umbrella open and my jacket around me as I walked into church. I like the cold weather, so I wasn't really bothered. (I actually enjoyed getting to make use of my new leather jacket.) But, I didn't realize what the day had in store.

After church, I went to lunch. After lunch, I got in my car and drove home. Now, during lunch the clouds apparently all got together and talked about my leaving. Or maybe they heard everyone saying their farewells to me, and decided to give me a little goodbye present. When I walked outside, I walked into the most beautiful day. The sun is shining and there is a fresh cold breeze coming down from the mountains. It reminds me of apple picking in Georgia. It reminds me of Katie Zurcher's mountain/lake house and its wood-burning stove that heats the whole house. It reminds me of cuddling up in quilts drinking hot cocoa out of big mugs and marveling at the changing leaves. It is big comfy sweater air. It is run around in fields air. I am trying to soak it all up before I go to Jerusalem...where I hear mountain breezes and wood-burning stoves are hard to come by.

I had to say goodbye to a lot of people today. It was horrible. I hate saying goodbye. I would rather say "see you later" or just not say anything at all. The thing is, there are some people I am going to miss and I am going to keep in touch with, and there are some who I was just friends with for this season of life, and others who I was always around, but never really got to know. And all of those differing relationships make for some very awkward farewells. Especially because my mind is spinning at the idea of moving to Jerusalem tomorrow- so I don't even know what to think about it all, much less what to say.

There are also some people who are worried for me. Jerusalem is a pretty volatile place, and it will probably get even more so with the coming UN conference and the Palestinians requesting to be recognized as a nation. But, please don't be. I know without a shadow of a doubt that this is where the Lord is taking the Fiores. And I also know that where I am in life is exactly where God wants me to be. This isn't a mistake or something I am unsure of or something I am nervous about. If you believe in things being ordained by God- than you have to believe this is. It's exciting and it's nerve-wracking and it's crazy. But, at the end of the day, it is just following the plans the Lord has for me.

And, if nothing else, it is going to be an amazing adventure.

I will miss you too Geneva! Shalom!

Boswell out.