What is lacking, part 2

In light of this, the past month has been a doozy. Already facing the prospect of saying goodbye to the junior and senior class for good (the seniors will be leaving for college when we leave in July and the juniors will graduate during our year of home assignment), we got news that some good friends with four little kids around our kids’ ages wouldn’t be coming back due to lack of financial support. (I mentioned them in my “Cell Phone History Lesson” post.) They had already been here a decade and hoped to be here for life.

Then, last week, the staff received a long, shocking email describing how Wally, the student chaplain, and his nurse wife were being led by the Lord (against their human will) to return to the U.S.

We’ve gotten used to saying hello and goodbye to people here on a frequent basis—but when “career” people are taken out from under us, it’s especially hard to take.

Losing Wally though is one of the hardest losses of all. You may be thinking—hold on, you’re getting ready for home assignment…you yourself are leaving that place…how can you be lamenting other people leaving RVA? That’s a great point, but as we leave, it’s comforting to know what and who will still be here when we come back in August of 2010. These career people are the backbone of our school, and losing a key piece of your vertebrate (like Wally and his wife Donna) can turn your heart into a joyless jellyfish.

Wally has been one of my closest friends in a place where I’ve lacked close friends. He’s been a coaching mentor for basketball (he’s the varsity coach) and a fellow fan of college football (even though he’s allied with the dark force of unholy wickedness, i.e. Ohio State). He’s taught me a lot about student ministry and activities, and he’s a great preacher as well. It’s said that every Christian should have a Timothy and be a Timothy (referring to Paul’s relationship with this young man), and I really felt like I was a Timothy to Wally. He is/was a great mentor for me and knowing that he’s going to be leaving RVA was a hard blow to me.

My tearful prayers the night I found out consisted mainly of questions. How can you take him? Why now? Why is this happening again? Who will fill his void, both in my life and for the school? Why?