F

"F," as all IA'ers should know, stands for "Final Goodbyes."

As my time in IA has come to a close, and now I stand with a whole new world and a whole new year in front of me, I thought I'd build the F part of my RAFT leaving Russia.

This will sound a lot like my Wednesday chapel good bye~ The second In Kyun went up to the stand and started his goodbye speech to the gathered fellow students, my mind raced and started making my own goodbye speech. But because we were short on time and my emotional self made an expected appearance, I couldn't say even a tenth of what I thought up during that time between the first senior's goodbye to mine. So here we go~

Hey y'all~ It's been such an awesome 11 years in IA. I remember my first years in Kindergarten with Ms. Sveta and nap-times. Now, I'm already leaving~ It's been so fun and full of unforgettable memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I can't believe I'm leaving so soon~ I don't know where I'll ever find another group like y'all~ Y'all are such a unique and precious group that I'm sad most about leaving~

To the Cossacks~ Fight hard... I never in my dreams thought I wouldn't be with you guys next year. And the day of our last basketball game when I realized that we wouldn't be together running and training to one day defeat Hinkson and whoever else we would meet the next season, I cried~ Always remember that I'll be cheering for you wherever I may go~ My school next year might have a huskie as its mascot~ I'll always be a Cossack through and through~ But also, remember y'all~ Win or Lose, glory goes to God right? Love each other and fight for Him and His kingdom~

To the Koreans~ Wow... I feel we've grown so much closer this past year... I wish that we could continue to grow closer, supporting one another like we did in class, in Moscow, in Kazakhstan, and in just everyday life. I don't know what I'll do without seeing your little group of Inkyun, Geun Jo, Daniel, Suk Hyun, Jin Hyun, and Won walking and laughing together~ Continue to grow closer together, and I hope to see y'all really soon~

To the teachers~ I'm so sorry I won't be graduating and finishing my education at IA~ I feel so sorry and sad that I won't be getting my diploma here and that my picture won't hang on the small yet still growing wall of graduates on the wall on the third floor. I practically grew up with you being my second parents, and I can't begin to describe how much I'll miss you. Not only did I see you as teachers, but like Mr. Zartman said, I saw you also as mentors, models, and friends.

Phoenixes! Hey ya~ Remember how I wasn't even in our class when I first got here?~ I was a grade down because there weren't enough spots in the upper 1st and 2nd grade. Wow, this past year while working with little kids chapels, I completely forgot that I was once that young~ But we all started our journey together~ And I can't tell you how much I regret that I won't be able to graduate with y'all. I've spilled countless tears thinking about how y'all will graduate without me, and how we won't spend our last year as high schoolers together~ I'm so sorry, but I know that God has another plan for me... I feel like I'm being torn apart as I leave Russia. My whole life for the past decade is being stripped away prematurely to expose my insides that I feel are yet ready to brave the outside world. Please pray for me in this~

I know y'all will cherish the part of myself that I leave behind, and this comforts me~ I'll also take bits of you and will treasure them above all else in America. ...

But this isn't a good bye is it? Like Coach Plaster said, it's only a see you later~ Even if we won't see one another in this life, I know for sure we'll all meet again in a place where we'll never have to say good bye and where He will wipe all our tears. But till then, here I say bye for now~

Isaiah 25:8a

He will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces;