Whit Departs for Middle East Mission
Hundreds Gather
for Farewell Ceremony at City Hall
 "I don't think there's
anything that's ever touched me more than those beautiful cards and those
wonderful messages and all the love and caring that came along with them. So
God bless you all and thank you."
John Avery Whittaker spoke
these words to an estimated crowd of 2500 people in an emotional farewell
speech given at City Hall. Whittaker, or Whit as he is better known,
accepted a position as director of the Holy Land Archaeological Mission.
They are headquartered in Jerusalem, with archaeological sites all over
Israel.
Whit told The Odyssey Times
that the farewell ceremony was quite moving for him. "I never imagined so
many people would turn out for such a simple goodbye," he said. Whit
remarked that he's been literally "swamped with cards and letters" from
friends who promised to pray for him in this new adventure.
Whit's opportunity to go to
the Middle East began when Dr. Richard Baynes, the former director of the
Mission and a close friend of Whit, suddenly passed away from a heart
attack. As a member of the Board of Directors for the Universal Press
Foundation, the Mission's sponsoring agency, Whit helped begin the search
for a replacement. Eventually, it became clear to everyone concerned that
Whit was the most suitable replacement. He explained that "after a lot of
prayer and consideration" he decided to take the position. "There comes a
time when a change is needed to shake off the cobwebs. I'm made some
detailed plans for the future of Whit's End and have every confidence that,
for Odyssey, the best is yet to come."
Plans include that the
proprietorship of the very popular ice cream shop, Whit's End, will go to
Jason Whittaker, Whit's son, until Whit returns from his mission after an
indefinite period of time.
The master of ceremonies for
the farewell ceremony was Mayor Bill Jenkins who said that losing Whit will
be worse than when he lost his tonsils at the age of five.
Music for the even was
provided by the Odyssey High School Band.
[Editorial note: For more
details on this story, be sure to listen to Gone... and But Not
Forgotten in the Wish You Were Here collection of cassettes and
compact discs.]
This
article originally appeared in "The Odyssey Times," a
special fictional newspaper produced by Focus on the Family to promote
Adventures in Odyssey.
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