It's counter-intuitive for most of us. We want to gather friends around us and tend to resist moving on unless some big ugly business insists on taking us elsewhere, or education or family requires it - we like to be with friends and keep together. But if we are serious about loving God and people, and so reaching out a hand to those in places who don't yet know about him and who need help in all kinds of ways, that will necessarily mean sending people out to new places, which will necessarily mean saying goodbye.

Saying goodbye is painful. Our small house church plant is about to send one of our number out to work as part of a team in the Balkans for two years, and he is going to leave a big hole. We've only been going for two years ourselves, for goodness sake! And he has got really involved in the life of the community and brings something to the party that noone else has. Can we really afford to lose him?

But the question comes: Do we love God enough to release our friends to go to new places and serve him? He and I went to visit the new location some months ago, to understand the situation more, talk to the team and get a sense of God's leading. And it soon became apparent that the Balkan team's need is greater than ours, and that the gifts our friend has are strikingly suited to the needs of the team there. It became apparent that to resist this because 'we need him' was essentially selfishness.

And so he is going. Flights are being booked. Belongings are being sold. Other things are going into storage. Everything is being pared down. Visas are being applied for. Notice given to the landlord. Resignation letters to employers. Goodbye visits to various friends are being planned. Support is being raised. Training is being given. Prayers are being poured out as uncertainty about quite what lies ahead is a reality - but God is faithful.

If we are going to take the great command and commission seriously, and we will have to be those who regularly say goodbye to loved ones. Either because we ourselves are moving on to new fields, or we are releasing others to go.