We are sharing a dream moment with our son, Skye, and family. Over the past few years, Skye had mentioned often to us that he would like to come home to Colombia and do his work from here for a few weeks or months. Currently, that is what we are enjoying and what we are incorporating into our ministry experience.
As our children were growing up in Colombia, especially in Bogota when we were a part of Church planting teams, they were often a part of our ministry. They accompanied us every weekend as we traveled to the church plant locations and, when old enough to do so, they participated in the Church planting effort as volunteers in the children’s ministry. Some of these weekend trips proved to be quite long, yet they hung in there and speak favorably of these memories. When the children were not studying, and had time to do so, Mary Lou or Gary would include them in an errand around the city of Bogota or Medellin. It was great for Mary Lou and Gary to have the whole family together on these weekends. In fact, part of the reason that the Colombia Covenant Church leadership asked us to move to Medellin was because of our family. There were not any missionary families in Medellin at the time and they asked us to spend part of our ministry focus on mentoring the young pastoral families.
Our three daughters have been able to return to Colombia and spend some extended time with us with mission teams or on extended breaks from their studies or work. Skye’s schedule and work did not permit him to return like that, yet we kept up a conversation about him sometime coming and working from Colombia. This spring, for almost eight weeks, Skye and his family have made that happen. And we, especially Mary Lou, have incorporated them in some moments of ministry. Our daughter in law, Kasey, and our two granddaughters, Isla and Vera, have accompanied Mary Lou to minister in the Hands With Hope Foundation sewing classes. And since Skye was here on Mother’s Day (a very rare occurrence anymore for Mary Lou to be with one of our children on that day), he was asked to give a tribute to Mothers, and he spoke for a few minutes on being Mary Lou’s son.
While it is different to have one of our adult children living with us for these eight weeks, it has proven to be a time of making memories, of reliving memories, and being blessed to be able to live together, once again, under the same roof. We are sure happy that it has worked out.
