Saturday: We woke up to a cool overcast day, drove 1.5 hours to Paphos, saw ruins from the days of the Apostle Paul, ate good pitas at a non-touristy taverna, visited the home of a beautiful couple & their baby boy serving in Paphos, and drove 1.5 hours back to Larnaca. Now we are packing and attempting (multiple tries) to get checked in online for our early morning flight.
Raquel & baby Cristiano, serving in Paphos along with Peter (husband & joyful dad, below)
The reality is setting in, our serving here is finished. The lives of everyone we met will continue on, and we will try to remember them and pray for them until the urgency of their stories fades away, no matter how much we want to keep the experiences front and center.
We hope we are changed. We hope we come back to Grand Rapids and share the stories. We hope we will have more opportunities to walk alongside the “foreigners in the land” (Leviticus 19:34). The good news is the Lord has brought the nations to our doorstep. Thank you Lord. Give us courage to live and love others in a way that pleases You and brings You glory, whether we are in familiar places or across the globe.
Jim exploring Paphos
Final Tally: 163 stray cats, including this sweet mama feeding her babies at one of the sites of the Apostle Paul’s journey in Cyprus.
We are sitting in O’Hare and signing off. Thank you for all your prayers. Thank You Lord for this opportunity to serve You. We are tired (and crabby, says Jim) but content with the relationships built and work continued in Larnaca, Cyprus.