The Final Countdown

You have not entered a time warp.  Last night when editing this post I accidentally hit "publish" instead of "save."  That is why the the date line says it is Tuesday instead of Wednesday.  Trust me- it's Wednesday!

Marilyn and I decided in late October of 1999 that we were going to accept the invitation to lead the student ministries at the Union Church of Hinsdale outside of Chicago.  We had never wanted to leave the First United Methodist Church of Kissimmee, but we found ourselves with few options.  I could no longer serve along side of The Pastor Who Shall Not Be Named.  (As an aside, the first time my mother met him it was in our front yard, because he had parked at our house across from the church.  He introduced himself to her as "The Big Cheese."  She said she knew then that he and I would never last...)  I was prepared to tell FUMC-K of my plans and leave before the end of 1999, but circumstances led me to delay the entire event.  I could not leave in such a time of need, so I wound up announcing my move in January and actually leaving in March.  Once again, just as I had done when leaving Springfield Friends Meeting 6 years earlier, I went to the youth and asked them what they wanted to do in our last weeks together (click here for that story).  And once again, the answer was, "EVERYTHING!" 

We certainly gave it our best shot.  I put together a Ski Trip.  Our usual spots, Winterplace in West Virginia and Appalachian in Boone, NC were both totally booked.  My old friends at Carolina Tours (CTI) found us space at Massanutten Ski Resort in Virginia.  I had never heard of it before (or since), and yes- it truly was a "mass of nuttin."  But we went (see pictures) and had a great time, treasuring each moment as if it was our last time together- because for some of us, it was.  I also recall that on that trip a young person from another youth group died in a skiing accident while we were there, and we gathered with a number of other groups to pray for his friends and family.  It was a very touching moment that put much of our sadness into perspective.

Back in Kissimmee, we sang every song we loved (every week!), went to all of our favorite restaurants together, played our favorite games and hung out as often as possible.  I threw together one last Rec Around the Clock, even though it wasn't summer.  We took time to be together and to share the love we had for each other.  Just as it had been at SFM, it was exhausting to do all of this while packing and preparing for a new ministry.  But it was sooooo worth it...

The final big event before the farewell parties was a retreat at Melbourne Beach.  This time it really was a "Last Gasp."  I remember very specific moments from that weekend.  I remember posing for the picture (at right) with Julia, Victoria, Izzy and Brittney.  I remember a bunch of youth coming in my room and watching a movie together.  I remember going out to eat at a Chinese restaurant for lunch on Saturday and feeling incredibly blessed to be sharing life with such amazing people.  And I remember sitting by the pool very late one night, praying for each of the youth of FUMC-K by name, and knowing how much I would miss them all.  I had done all I could do- it was time to "let go and let God."

Friday I will remember some of the farewell moments and say good-bye to the Kissimmee years.  Tomorrow it's another Moment With Mullins.  See you then.

Because of Jesus,