March 27, 2012
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13 Days and Counting…
This past weekend we concluded our final Sunday of “raising partners” as Mission Corps volunteers. We were at Richardson, TX, Church of the Nazarene with Pastor Scott Sherwood. God blessed our day with them in every way! They were so gracious to us and the presence of God was very strong in the service. Pastor Scott is a Spirit-filled pastor who obviously seeks the heart of God. Knowing this was our final church in our schedule before we leave for the CIS, they blessed us by praying for us around the altar.
We also enjoyed seeing some friends from the past again as well. Shane Needham and his family, Mike and Cindy McCracken, Nathan and Angela Clark, and Chrissy (Green) Hardy all surprised us by coming to Richardson Nazarene. It was so good to see everyone! Following the service, we had a very special time at lunch with the NMI council and staff of the church. In conversation we discovered their NMI president, Jane, was at Shawnee Church of the Nazarene during the time when my parents came to faith in Christ. Isn’t God amazing!?!
Sunday evening we were able to spend a fun and relaxing evening at Mike and Cindy McCracken’s home. What a blessing!
We have truly enjoyed our time with the Watson family. In forty-fun (41) years of life, I have never seen the spiritual gift of hospitality used like the Watsons do it. They are an amazing family. Right now, while we are staying with them, they are also hosting 33 young men who are attending a church planting conference at Gateway Church. Can you imagine hosting a missionary family AND 33 college age men at the same time? And they do it with much grace and flexibility! Wow!
Tonight, we share our journey with the Watson’s home group. This group consists of 40 adults and kids from Gateway Church. OK, so you are getting the picture, right… The Watson family, the Rainey family, 33 college-aged men, and 40 people in a home group… LOL. We are excited to share in this kind of environment where we can also answer questions about our call.
Tomorrow morning, we leave Fort Worth to begin a two-day trip back to Grabill, Indiana. We should arrive sometime Thursday evening. We are excited to spend our final 10 days with family. We have much to do in the way of closing out the final details of life in America. We have many people to try to talk with before we leave. We are excited and challenged by the task in front of us. But we leave knowing that the God who can do the impossible is our God. He will NOT leave us alone. And He promises to make us fruitful as we give Him our everything!
