16 Days (but who's counting?)

That, my friends, is one BOSS pan of paella!

Believe it or not, after today's installment from TMFKATB from behind the Zion Curtain, there will only be two more updates. He has a mere 16 days left before his two year service comes to an end and he returns home.

16 days - but who's counting?

From this week's letter, I think TMFKATB may be counting, but more about the things he has yet to do and the people he has yet to see.  He was pretty excited about the progress they are seeing in a person they've been working with for quite some time. He's had a chance to see the goodness in people as the hand of fellowship has once again been extended from multiple people to this family from Venezuela that they've been working with too and he was grateful for those kindnesses.

People are recognizing that he'll be leaving in a couple of weeks and in Latin tradition, that means fiestas. I mean check out that ridiculous pan of paella. That was done for one the missionary's birthdays! That thing is fan-freaking-tastic! He knows he won't see this kind of celebration for awhile. He'll face a lot of "lasts" over the course of the next few days. As he closed his email today, he said to us:

It's getting real! I am going to miss this.

He wasn't talking about the paella (although how can you not miss that?) of course. He'll miss the people. He'll miss the work. He'll miss the service. He'll miss so much. But it's time to get ready for the next phase of life. So much awaits him. But he'll be ready for it, even though he may not know it yet. He's got sixteen more days of an experience that he'll never have again. He doesn't need to worry about what's next. Like I told him today, just enjoy what you've got now.

In the meantime, the stunningly patient and mighty fine SML and I will keep the countdown clock going. 16 days. It'll be here in no time! In proof, though, that A) he is truly aware that he's coming home and B) that he is my son, he wanted to know what I was doing about getting him upgraded on his Delta flights home. Clearly, he hasn't heard about the changes to the Skymiles program in the last two years. He'll enjoy is seat in Coach.