Goodbye

One of the great things about the work we do is that we meet new friends. One of the hard things about the work we do is saying goodbye to friends. This weekend, with summer gone and the cold winds starting to blow, two families are leaving, so the past week has been full of goodbyes. One of the families we met through ADRA, and our kids have played together several times a week since we arrived in Mongolia. Jannie has been responsible for introducing us to the best food places in town. The other family are the ones who convinced us to move to their building this year. We have been enjoying a neighbourly friendship with our kids moving between both apartments, borrowing sugar, sharing baking, having chats over cups of coffe, and the like. Alesia and Amina have been inseparable all summer.

Both families fly out on Saturday, to new lives in new countries, with new friends. This afternoon we had a goodbye lunch at work for the ADRA family. At home we had a goodbye concert with Alesia performing a ballet, Amina performing a piano solo, and Tuksu (Amina's mum) giving us a final serenade on her violin. So guys, it was wonderful to meet you in Mongolia. We miss you already.

Keira, Amina and Alesia doing hip hop dance

Playing kitchen and cafe

Alesia, Amina and Keira (who has just woken from a nap)

Playing in the garden

Tuksu and Sean at the school Family Fall Fair

Sue and Michelle at the school Family Fall Fair

Amina and Alesia at the school Family Fall Fair

Soaking up some Autumn sun in the countryside last weekend

Jannie showing his skills on his grass board

Tuksu and Sean (sorry about the photo of you Sean, but Tuksu looks great!)

Picking the last of summer flowers

Running through sprinklers