Great Friends Are A Gift

For the past 5 months our lives have been turned upside down. After 36 years of continuous church ministry, I have been out of work for these 5 months. Our kids are in limbo, not knowing where we will finally land. We have lost our church family and many of the activities and events we would have been part of are no longer available to us. For the past 6 weeks we have not had any income, which adds to the feeling of being turned upside down. That's the bad news. Now for the good news.

Most Sundays we have attended a Lutheran church with 2 of our best friends. This is a wonderful church and we have been blessed, not only to attend, but to attend with our good friends. These are friends who love us and have helped us tremendously for the past months. Yesterday we attended a church in Wentzville with 8 of our friends. Not only did we experience a wonderful service, it was great to be with friends. We hadn't seen some of these folks since our departure from West County Assembly of God 5 months ago, so we had the opportunity to "catch up." At lunch with 4 wonderful friends, we laughed, had great conversation, and they helped Kathy and I talk through some issues relating to our house and inevitable move out of the St. Louis area. When we got home yesterday afternoon, Kathy and I felt so refreshed. Our outlook, for the most part, has been very positive, but there have also been some frustrating and discouraging times. To spend time with good friends yesterday is a blessing from God.

Other friends have blessed us as well. We've had groceries delivered, we've been taken to Sam's, twice, to "stock up." We have received many cards and notes, most with a check or cash. A friend took me to a men's breakfast and then filled my van's tank on the way home. One of our best friends was instrumental in having Starbridge Christian Center set up a special fund for us to help pay for our health insurance. West County Christian Academy blessed us with a pile of gift cards and a check. We used gift cards for groceries for weeks with all the cards they blessed us with. Kathy and I have both been invited to breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. We've had many phone calls that have been so encouraging. While I could have never imagined that we would be in this precarious financial situation, God has used our friends to bless us. We will never forget this. While we do not have a firm job offer yet, we have 2, and perhaps 3 possibilities, that should have us in a new job by January 2nd. Kathy and I have always known that God took care of His own. To experience it first hand, primarily through our friends, has been nothing short of miraculous. God is so good...