The joy and loss of transition
January-2025

“How does one say goodbye to a home and friends that are now like family knowing that you will not see many of them again?”
After years of service in Asia, Iona is returning to a new life in New Zealand. Read about her journey of finishing on the field.

Read an excerpt from Iona’s recent newsletter, that explains her recent experiences of saying goodbyes and looking ahead to the future:

“As I sit and write this, my flat is filled with small piles of household items for different people; my suitcases are semi-packed as I trial what fits in different cases that I will take on my break and those that I will send back to New Zealand ahead of me. It is a mixture of excitement and burgeoning sadness that fills my heart as I contemplate my time on the field. How does one say goodbye to a home and friends that are now like family knowing that you will not see many of them again?

“Sometimes I’m blissfully busy with practical things like listing items on a spreadsheet to sell to my friends or sorting out my shelf full of resources at school. But really, I have been mostly looking around me, cherishing the views, eating lunch with colleagues and friends, receiving hugs and accepting coffee invitations so I can bank another memory or have a chance to say I will miss their face; I will miss them being in my life.”

Is this season of change hard? Absolutely. Yet Iona knows this is right.

“I feel like I am ready to leave and start the new chapter that God is calling me to.”

Iona emails to update on how this space of transition is going for her:

“A lot has happened since then, with farewelling all the things in my flat, place, people, and memories. The closer I get to leaving the more intense the emotions are. It’s a weird feeling as you are leaving for good things and at the right time, yet there is the juxtaposition of sweet memories and loss intertwined.

“Preparing for transition is vital to doing it well. The book I read on transition (Looming Transitions by Amy Young) explains that you’ll leave a wake behind you. How big it is, is up to you. Transition is messy, and hard no matter how many times you do it. Goodbyes are not just for you, but for others. You have logistical things to plan out well, and also time with treasured people. Not all people vying for your time are of equal importance so sometimes you have to and should prioritise, or not, in your last days.

“Over the last month, I have sat across from my dear friends and told them how much I appreciate things about them and what they have meant to me. I have been able to share about God’s goodness, grace and provision during this time of transition and it has brought me and them to tears. Moving back to your passport country you are not the same you as when you left– you have a piece of the new country in your heart now. You might even like different food, do things in a different way, or see things with a different perspective. I always say to those who ask, you can’t unsee the world, it most certainly changes you. I am very grateful for all that I have experienced with God and will hold it in my heart to serve others in the future.”