Email: Melissa Wheeler

Hello from Belfast,

As I sit in my living room in Belfast I am reminded that this might be the last letter I write in my home for the year. This concept of leaving, this nagging reminder is in the back of my head like a small alarm telling me that time is ticking by and my year is nearly over. I have mixed feelings about leaving, and as hard as I try, that is all I can say at this point. Belfast has come to feel like home. The familiar surroundings that I once longed for from home in Texas now surround here in my home, a place that has kept me safe and warm. Outside is a community that I have grown to love and trust. Here are the roommates with whom I have shared all of the stories on my mind and heart over the year. They are my family; they have loved me through so much. We have all started our goodbyes; we pack our memories in bags as we prepare to go.

One of the most important things that I have learned is that living in the moment has benefits that far outweigh that of gold. I can only hope that as I prepare my heart and mind to come home, I can remember that there is truly nothing like the present moment. It gets dangerous very quickly when you start to relive the past, or plan the future too readily. Instead I pray for the grace to live in the moment, to be mindful of all that I have left behind, and to be aware of all that is in my future. I hope to be able to look back someday with satisfaction and know that I lived in the moment and nothing more.

With all of these mixed feelings I am reminded that my year of service, the true purpose of this experience, is only beginning. When I leave Belfast is when the job really begins. I have begun to realize that it is what we all choose to do with this experience that makes this program what it is. It is now my responsibility to take all of the love, all of the prospect of peace, all of the tears and frustration, the laughs and smiles and loads of memories, and examine how to use that best. I will be taking back answers and questions. I will be taking back a year that has changed me forever. It was a year for growth, a year for service, a year for challenge and unimaginable grace and peace. A year is such a very short time. I pray that God blesses me with the strength now to take what I have learned and continue to serve. I am constantly humbled by the outpouring of love and support you have all given me during my year. I truly could not have done it without you. Thank you.

Peace be with you all,

Melissa Wheeler

To read more day-to-day reflections of my time in Belfast, go to my blogspot.

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