And then there was one...

Another month has passed by, full of many memories and significant moments leading up to our departure for Peru. Tony flew out of Denver on Thursday night and has safely arrived at the orphanage. There were tearful goodbyes with dear friends and family before he left, and then he was off on his journey - Denver to San Francisco, San Fran to San Salvador, San Salvador to Lima, and finally Lima to Arequipa. All those extra stops just to save $50 on the airfare!!

Here are a few pictures of Tony on his last night in Denver:

No extra space in these bags!!

One last photo with Nora before Tony leaves!

So now there is just one Bolos left in Denver for these next 10 days. In many ways Tony's departure seems to be leading to the climax of this chapter in our story - we've had months of details, emotions, and preparations leading up to our departure but his leaving is the first tangible step towards the goal. For me, his departure has signaled that my time here is drawing to a close as well. It's always interesting to experience two markedly different emotions at the same time - grief over leaving family, friends, and familiarity, but also joy and excitement about this long-time dream becoming a reality. I'm continually learning how to hold the two in tension without discounting or stifling one of them. It is intriguing and comforting to recognize that God understands that tension. Jesus must have experienced those same conflicting emotions during his time here - the agony of knowing he would be crucified, along with the intense love for all of creation that led him to the cross. Is our grief so extreme as this? Certainly not, but how comforting to know that having experienced that ultimate grief, he understands our grief as we leave to serve the children in Peru out of the love we receive from him.