A church is a family and therefore there are all kinds of family occasions in its life to celebrate.
Last night we had two contrasting occasions. One of our families is moving to another place this coming week. That is both a sad occasion (they will no longer be with us) and a cause for rejoicing (God is leading them somewhere else, and His plans for us are always positive – Jeremiah 29:11). We prayed with this family and sent them forth with our blessing.
As with all families, ‘out of sight’ is not ‘out of mind’. We will continue to pray and keep in touch with these people, praying they will find a good local church to become a part of, that the children will settle into new schools, that they will find friends and continue to discover God’s will for their lives.
We also had a birthday to celebrate. All birthdays are wonderful, but this one will be full of special rejoicing as we celebrate God’s healing work in our brother’s life and continue to pray that he will be strengthened and know renewed vigour and blessing.
Really sorry to see Sam and the family go, but praying God will continue to lead them.