An Amazing “Finale” Weekend

Our “finale” weekend (meaning the last weekend/day that Laura and Ruth would serve together as co-workers) started with an overnight with Pastor Rick, who during his single/student days, pastored the church where Laura’s family worshiped. Under him a Wycliffe missionary came as a revival speaker and at the close of the 2^nd meeting, Laura responded to the salvation invitation. Soon after, she was baptized—the first person Pastor Rick ever baptized. So it was very fitting that she was able to connect with him and his wife on this “finale” weekend. In fairly recent years, Pastor Rick and his wife pastored the church that we reported to the following day, now known as New Hope Community Church.

The current pastor of New Hope was new to us until we met him several weeks ago. Of course, he didn’t know us well and due to a somewhat recent merge with another church, we didn’t know very many of the congregation by name. So we had no expectations that this would indeed be an extra special “finale” report. BUT God arranged it so that a “missions champion” in both of our lives from back in the mid-70’s, had an active part in planning the service, Pastor Gordie and his wife, Marianne. Pastor Gordie was involved in Laura’s preparation for her first cross-cultural missions experience to the Marshall Islands (central Pacific). Back then, the church he then pastored supported both Laura and Ruth under separate missions. It was immediately after a Missions Conference in that church that Ruth sensed God’s call upon her life to serve with Laura as she headed to the Philippines…and that church enabled us to go through an amazing Faith Promise push. Each church that Pastor Gordie has been involved in since then has been a part of our support team and we’ve connected with him during each Home Service/furlough.

Unknown to us, Pastor Gordie and his wife went the 2^nd and 3^rd mile to make this a special “finale” Sunday for us. As he prepared to direct a “Father’s Day Women’s Choir,” he shocked us by sharing with the church a well-researched overview of our Mission Career and read two letters of thanks and congratulations that he had asked for—one from the first mission Laura served with, Bible Club Movement, and one from the first mission Ruth served with, Child Evangelism Fellowship. He then announced that the special choir piece was dedicated to us in honor of our years of training others in children’s ministry—a beautiful arrangement of “Jesus Loves Me.” Flowers, a love offering, and a wonderful church lunch, followed with time to connect more personally with the people, including some from other churches who came special to see us. Marianne, who has served cross-culturally and has experienced some very painful transitions in life, shared a gem of truth with us: our transition from a career of full time cross-cultural work into retirement is not “the end” but the beginning of a new chapter.

We were overwhelmed with such love and interest as we reflected and thanked God corporately. Tears come even now as we think of God’s amazing gift to us of being able to enable others to proclaim to thousands of children and youth God’s truth and salvation and the extraordinary “finale” weekend He provided for us. We look to Him with “New Hope” as we anticipate continued expansion of teaching Biblical Values in classrooms in both the Philippines and East Africa, while at the same time, finding what He has planned for this “new chapter” in our lives. All the praise and honor goes to our Savior, Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Harvest.

Reunion in Sussex

Back in 2003, six friends, 3 Canadians and 3 Americans, all single with one being a fairly new widow, met together for six wonderful days in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains near the Kananaskis River. We had an amazing time hiking, animal watching (including sighting a grisly bear), touring Banff and Lake Louise, viewing the Colombia ice fields, and marvelling and savouring God’s creation together. It was amazing to think that such a fantastic vacation worked out for all of us…what would be the chances of it ever happening again?

God did just that, allowed it to happen again this past week. Last Monday, June 3, four of our friends arrived here in Sussex, NB, coming from Toronto and Maine; the next day the 6^th friend joined us from Moncton. I, along with Ruth, had the special joy of hosting this special group here in Sussex. We had an amazing 4 days of enjoying the local sights as well as touring St. Martins, Saint John, and Moncton. We sampled authentic Maritime homemade fish cakes and fiddleheads, enjoyed ice-cream on several occasions, sampled a Ugandan bean recipe and haystacks (curried chicken and rice with toppings), plus Donairs and Macarons. But the true joy was being together and catching up on each other’s lives, praising God for his faithfulness over the past 16 years. Lots has happened…back then all of us were actively serving the Lord in full-time Christian work. Now, two have retired and another two are close to that milestone (us), two transferred membership to another organization, one moved from western Canada to eastern Canada, and for Ruth and me, we moved from the Philippines to Uganda; back then, VOICE Philippines wasn’t even thought about yet, never mind VOICE Africa! We each face our challenges but rejoice to know that our God never changes and He is actively working together all things for good…even the opportunity for six friends to be reunited. Praise Him!