Goodbyes, Again...

It was only about a year ago that I had a goodbye party in Chicago and had to tearfully say goodbye to those who had become my closest friends. It was hard leaving the Jesus People USA community. Although I had lived there only two years, it felt like so much longer 'cause I had been living and working with all those people every day.
Saturday we had a goodbye party for my family. It was weird. It was sad. It was beautiful.
I am one of the most emotional persons I know; I laugh super easily and I cry super easily, anyone who knows me knows what I'm talking about. So, of course, I did a lot of crying and a lot of laughing. The problem with me is that once I start, it's hard for me to stop! I don't mind this when it comes to laughing, but I hate not being able to control the tears streaming down my face (though sometimes, well, a lot of times, I laugh so hard that I start to cry, but that's different.)
It will be a little hard leaving Portugal. I've finally gotten used to this country and its culture and it's finally starting to feel like home...and now I'm leaving!
I'll miss this small international community I've been part of in these last ten months. It was really fun and interesting being part of an international community in Europe for the first time.
I've definitely received a lot of support and blessings from the people here and I'm so thankful for it all and I'm still really surprised by how everyone welcomed, helped, and loved me.
Of course, leaving this community will be a lot easier than it was leaving JPUSA because I've only been here for less than a year and I wasn't living with everyone. Therefore I wasn't seeing everyone every day and I didn't get to know everyone really well...but I still love them all and will miss them.
The nice thing is that I'll see everyone again some way or another. A lot of people are actually from California and some of them are even moving there so I might see them in the States at some point! The others I might see again when I come back to visit my family in Portugal (and, who knows? Maybe some day I'll be coming back here to live?).
In any case, I know I'll see my friends again sooner or later. I'm not too worried about that, I never am. I guess that's what happens when you're an international kid.
I still don't enjoy the initial parting though...
We had our goodbye party at the Graf's house which was so nice, not only because they live up in the beautiful green hills of Sintra, but also because they have been moving from one place to another for about 10 months! Now they finally have a stable home that they can call theirs and that they can decorate how they want to and have all of their things in!
The party was a good relaxing time hanging out with people, eating, talking, laughing, and then we had a wonderful worship and prayer time accompanied by lots of crying.
Here are some pictures (click on them to see them bigger). I wish I had more and better pictures, but I wasn't the one taking them, so I'll have to do with what I have.

Colorful Alana.

Jasmin and my mom during the worship time.

The ladies praying for my mom and I.

Praying for Isaac.

The guys praying for my dad.

Phil and Derrick were tired of seeing me crying so they sat with me and started being silly =)