And more friends to miss!

Well, we only thought we were at the end of goodbye dinners with friends, but the gift goes on - so we are getting pictures this go-round!
The wonderful friends you see here at the Michelsons - Dave, Bethany, Simeon, Joel & Anna. They are our "yankee friends" - hence the picture under the sign.

When I was looking into housing for this year, I emailed our church office to find out if they had a bulletin board or something I could utilize (we decided to attend Westerley Road Church since Jeff & Erica were already there), and we ended up on the prayer chain. Bethany got the prayer chain email and wrote me asking what she could do to help. The rest of the summer we emailed back and forth, so by the time I arrived here I already felt close to her. We have so much in common; it's been such a comfortable, enjoyable friendship. I'm hoping by some miracle that Dave and Matthew will end up teaching at the same school (Dave is almost done w/his dissertation here in church history, so he'll apply for jobs next academic year).

When I think of Dave & Bethany, I think commitment. They have decided to commit themselves to family and to do it well, and their lives reflect that. They are committed to their local body of believers and serve them in the day in and day out. I feel honored to have learned from them this year, and I just plain enjoyed them. We will miss them!