 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
There are simply not words to completely describe the joy of having a loving church home. Emily and I were blessed to spend a week with our church family back in Frisco TX.
Its true that the familiar buildings and settings are comforting, but they are NOT the church… the people who fill those structures ARE the true church, and the love that they showed us during our visit is characteristic of how God’s people should treat one another.
Coming back has been just wonderful for my heart. The familiar routine, the friendly faces and the hustle and bustle of church programing has been almost a breath of fresh air. In many ways it doesn’t even feel like we’ve been gone over a year. It was only a matter of hours before I was back running around the office, helping with this, designing that, assisting here and there. It is a setting I love, and after just a few minutes it felt like home again.
While we reconnected with our friends, we also were given the opportunity to address the congregation and provide an update for how the ministry is doing. The church then prayed over us and thanked us for our service. It was wholly humbling and encouraging.
Sunday night we got to share with the senior adults. We showed a slideshow and talked through the many challenges we face in the church and in training in the Caribbean. I also got to share a devotional on the topic of generational training and teaching.
I could fill up pages with the “thank yous” that are due from this trip. We left with our tanks empty and we’re returning to the island overflowing with love and encouragement. We had numerous offers to let us stay with individuals and about a dozen families that would have given us a car for the week. Special thanks to Elwood and Loraine, and Jeff and Chandra, our Small Group and the Newtons for giving so generously.
I can’t remember how many times people told us how much we are missed and if there was any chance we could stay! Thank you for making us feel loved and missed. We are proud to serve as First Baptist’s missionaries in the Caribbean. Thank you for being more than just our sending church by name; thank you for caring about our hearts.