Would you rather run a marathon (26.2 miles) in the hot sun on hot pavement or watch a marathon on your couch with the air conditioner on and a Coke and bag of chips in your hands?
Just a few years ago, Stephen’s dad, Darryl, ran half marathons (13.1 miles or 21k) here in the Philippines. In a couple of those races a Stephen and two of our kids joined him . . . by running in the 5k (3.1 miles). For those who are laughing at this moment, Stephen still lives to tell the story.
The number “26.2” also represents how many years (actually 28 years) my folks, Darryl and Becky, have served the Lord as missionaries in Papua New Guinea and in the Philippines. Back in 1997, they probably had no thought of living overseas for the next 30 years. They have run this race with many lows, including a fire that destroyed most of their personal belongings, and their partners moving out of the village in Papua New Guinea, leaving them alone and wondering “Why are we here?” This question led them to the Philippines.
After 12 years in Papua New Guinea, they could have retired. But no, they chose to move to the Philippines. They served another 16 years in the Philippines as Guest House managers on two different islands for the first nine years, and then as our partners in the village for the last seven years. They were our support team and helped us with physical needs as we concentrated on the spiritual needs of the people. They helped us host three teams who came to help us with the Sports Bible Camp outreach. In 2019, Darryl oversaw the building project of Faith Bible Church. And through it all, you would find Becky in the kitchen baking cookies for the weekly Bible studies.
Well, at the young age of 80 years old, they are about to cross the finish line of their service to the Lord overseas. This past Sunday was their last Sunday in the village. Darryl played his clarinet, and we ended the service with a time of prayer. It was a time of joy and tears.
Soon, they will start their journey back to the States. They have many questions (i.e. Where will we live?), but very few answers. It is a time of trusting the Lord and His timing for those answers. We appreciate your prayer for Darryl and Becky and your words of encouragement.
We also treasure your prayers for us as we wrap things up here over the next few months. Then we have another child to get back to the States. We look forward to seeing many of you during that time.