Adventures in Odyssey Home Page

Gone . . .

Album: 21: Wish You Were Here

Episode: 280

Lesson/Theme: Dealing with loss.

Bible Verse: 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

Characters: Bart, Harlow, Bernard, Connie, Eugene, Whit, Tom

Writer: Paul McCusker

Sound Designer: Dave Arnold

Original Air Date: September 3, 1994

Last Air Date: February 18, 2009

Description:
Home at last! Bernard and Eugene drive onto the main street of Odyssey. But things are strange: Banners are hanging across the street that say things like, "Good Bye and God Bless," and "We’ll Miss You!" Curious, they park in front of Whit’s End. Connie frantically runs outside. She grills Bernard and Eugene: Where have they been? Why didn’t they keep in touch? They calm Connie down and ask what’s wrong. Her answer hits them like a punch in the stomach: Whit has left! He’s gone! Right after Bernard and Eugene left town, Whit got an urgent call from the board of directors at the Universal Press Foundation in Chicago. Dr. Baynes, Whit’s friend and mentor had passed away and left his archaeological mission in the Middle East without a director. Whit came up as the best man for the job of replacing him. Whit thought about it, prayed about it, and talked to several people about it. Then he decided to go. Eugene nearly falls over from the news. He decides that Whit can’t leave without saying good-bye to him! Connie calls the airport and discovers that there is a slight chance that Eugene could get there in time. Eugene leaves. He does everything humanly possible to get to the airport before Whit leaves. Eugene even nearly gets arrested for running out on the runway after Whit’s plane. But it’s no good. The plane departs. Eugene is disappointed, but he’s not the only one. Jack Allen, one of Whit’s old friends, has arrived on a different plane to see Whit. Jack and Eugene go back to Whit’s End. They watch a videotape of Whit’s farewell speech to the town and hear a few of Jack’s stories about the early days. Eugene goes back to his dorm room, alone with his thoughts. He peruses his mail and finds a note from Whit. It expresses how much Eugene means to him. The note leaves him with one last, hopeful thought, "The best is yet to come."

Questions:
Why did Whit feel the need to go to the Middle East? Why was Eugene so frantic about saying good-bye to Whit? What do you think Whit meant in his letter to Eugene, “The best is yet to come”? Have you ever had a good friend move? How did you handle it?