Long Term Friends are Precious

Being in one place and around the same friends for a long time is a gift that we cannot easily recognize for it happens only to those who are of some advanced age. Although we have been separated geographically from the Francis Family more than we have been near them our friendship has stayed strong.

When the Lord called them to the foreign mission field out of our small group we worked hard to show them support mental, familial and financial to say nothing about spiritual. The challenges seemed large yet we loved them and sent them off to Taiwan with great hope and a lot of faith.

Karen and I agreed to be the god parents for Greg and Dana should anything happen to the parents, Glen and Diana. I suppose that commitment caused us to pray harder for their protection. We were excited to hear about the good things God accomplished through our friends and we heard so many great stories about the ways God worked in that far away land.

A few years ago Karen and I met with the staff of a large church in Taipei. One of the couples there mentioned that Glen and Diana had been their mentors and friends many years before and they owed much to them for all things they learned about small groups, witnessing and prayer. The group at CHPC had come full circle. I thank God for keeping us connected as friends and partners in ministry for over 30 years.

Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.