Leaving Chatham Behind

How do you leave six years of your life behind? They have been six years of incredible change in our lives. God has enriched us greatly with our time in Chatham. He has used friends, pain, adversity, triumph and overcoming, His Word and Spirit and time. I was reminded this past week of a message I preached during my closing months at Emmanuel on the life of Joseph. God's work always requires time and grace.


During our time in Chatham, God took our delight in missions and made it a reality in our lives. We have spent over 8 months of the last three years in Mexico and God brought Pastor Miguel and Gladis Mahecha into our lives to keep Spanish alive and and a love for Latin American people growing.

Over the last three years Chatham has been our place of refuge. From here we have struck out on preaching ministries, made countless new friends abroad and have added West Highland Baptist Church and Oxford Baptist Church to our list of churches we have fallen in love with. We have been amazed at who God would touch to support us in our endeavors and adventures for Him and we have been humbled by the love of many and the faithfulness of God.




I'm feeling a little sentimental as I write this entry. Until now I have not had time to feel much emotion but it seems to be catching up. Our ministry in Chatham is not finished, but our time to live there is completed. We know God's peace at being homeless and at not being sure where we will eventually live. One thing we do know for certain; God knows and he is working. We have seen his hand in the sale of our home and in divine appointments that only he could have orchestrated in the last few days and months.


For now we prepare to head to Mexico with excitement. We cannot wait to renew fellowship with our missions family there and to make new friends. Pastor Lorenzo thinks he can find something for us to do in Cuernavaca! And we look forward to visiting missionary friends in Mexcio City and Puebla as well as other cities.



We do appreciate all who uphold us in prayer. Dale and Audrey Groombridge (above) and their small group have supported us in prayer over the last three years. Two weeks ago they prayed for a buyer to act within 48 hours and our house sold less than 48 hours later. We visited with them last week to thank them for their concerted effort in prayer. It was an incredible joy to be with these wonderful friends from Emmanuel.



As we put our boat in storage for the winter and drove out of Chatham, the sun was setting and I got this picture. It is kind of fitting as God was saying, "this day is closing and so is this era in your lives".


We rejoice that his mercies are new every morning and so we move on in his grace and strength.