Nick, my best friend, is leaving on Thursday. He is off to North Dakota State ( GO BYZEN ) to make new friends, be a part of a new community, and learn new things about buildings and such. After seeing him almost everyday for the past year, seeing him every three months is going to be quite the shock. All summer I've been praying that the Lord would prepare me for this huge change and slowly he has been in many different ways. At the beginning of the summer during camp training I met a couple, Andrew and Callie. They have been dating long distance for a while and their relationship is beautiful. I have had a number of people tell me how hard it is to date long distance and sigh big sighs when they hear we're going to try so it is very encouraging to know it can be done. Andrew has been encouraging me about the change and I dont think he understands how much that means to me. Last night, Jessie Grider, my mentor, asked if her and her husband could pray for us before Nick peaces out for college. They prayed peace over us and prayed for wisdom and joy during these up coming difficult times. Jessie spoke of the reality of heartache while he is away, not heart break, but heartache. It meant the world to me and after we finished I knew that I was fully prepared for him to leave. Maybe not fully prepared but as ready as I'll ever be. That's good. Right? I am so excited for him and knowing that he is ready makes me feel so much more relaxed. We will spend hours on skype and on the phone and will send lots of packages and hand written letters. THAT makes me very excited. God is good and his preparation for me during this time has been real and precious. My heart will be aching but I am excited to see the depth that our relationship will be at when it is all over.
