Saying goodbye

Transition is a normal part of missionary life. You find yourself saying goodbye again. Tomorrow we will be saying goodbye to our friends Barbara and Carlos. They came down to Autlan after finishing bible school over a year ago. They had expressed a desire to start a primary school here in Autlan. When our family left for an extended furlough, Carlos stepped in as pastor of La Roca church. During that time, he had the opportunity to share in 3 different times of sharing and preaching through out the week. After you add in playing basketball with the youth on Saturday evenings, running the coffee house on Sunday evenings, there was not a lot of time left. Before we left, we seriously discussed the possibility of  starting a Christian primary school and that it would be a long-term commitment. After much prayer and discussion, Carlos and Barbara decided to go back to the bible institute to become full-time teachers and eventually become the directors of the school. The time they were away from the bible institute was a good opportunity to experience ministry and life outside of the bubble at the bible institute. It was a growing experience for both of them. To see that life in ministry is not just about preparing a sermon for Sunday morning or preparing for a bible study. There is the unscheduled time you spend with people. Someone calls you up and you spend 2 to 3 hours listening and counseling that person. This is not something you get to plan out.Until you have experienced this first hand you can't full comprehend just how much this times happen and how much mental capacity you need to do this kind of work. For Carlos, as he expressed, being a pastor is much more than preparing a sermon. It is caring for the people. 

We will miss them dearly. They helped us in various ways. It would seem that it was only for a season of rest, that they were here for both our benefit and theirs. We see that God is leading them. We continue to follow Jesus as he leads us in the ways that we should go.