I think one of the hardest sacrifices as a missionary is being so far apart from friends and family, especially during hard times. It's times like these that remind you just how far from home you truly are.
On Tuesday, a friend of mine passed away. Todd has always been on my list of the cool people I've met. It's not just because he's one of the best drummers I've ever met, but also because of his character. I haven't seen Todd and his family since I left for the missions field, but would sometimes randomly get an email from him checking to make sure I'm still doing okay. You see I first met Todd, his wife Paula, and their boys when I was in college. I had just started playing clarinet on the worship team, and Todd was one of the drummers. It was awesome getting to know him and the team, especially since it was my first time ever being a part of a church , much less on the worship team. Todd and Jason used to tease me a lot about hiding behind my music stand. When our new worship pastor, Mike, came to our church, my role as instrumental turned to vocal. I battled with confidence to sing and there was Todd, encouraging me every step of the way. I still hear his encouraging words everytime I lead worship with our teams here in Africa. They continue to encourage me daily.
Then came the day I told him and Paula that I was going to move to africa and be a full time ministry. I was nervous telling my friends because I was getting mixed reactions from different people in my life. Todd and Paula were so excited about the change God was making in my life. Their friendship means so much to me. Even though Todd is no longer on earth with us, he is where we all long to be... in the physical presence of our Lord. I have to agree with my friends that I bet Jesus is getting some sweet drum set lessons. ;-)
On Tuesday, a friend of mine passed away. Todd has always been on my list of the cool people I've met. It's not just because he's one of the best drummers I've ever met, but also because of his character. I haven't seen Todd and his family since I left for the missions field, but would sometimes randomly get an email from him checking to make sure I'm still doing okay. You see I first met Todd, his wife Paula, and their boys when I was in college. I had just started playing clarinet on the worship team, and Todd was one of the drummers. It was awesome getting to know him and the team, especially since it was my first time ever being a part of a church , much less on the worship team. Todd and Jason used to tease me a lot about hiding behind my music stand. When our new worship pastor, Mike, came to our church, my role as instrumental turned to vocal. I battled with confidence to sing and there was Todd, encouraging me every step of the way. I still hear his encouraging words everytime I lead worship with our teams here in Africa. They continue to encourage me daily.
Then came the day I told him and Paula that I was going to move to africa and be a full time ministry. I was nervous telling my friends because I was getting mixed reactions from different people in my life. Todd and Paula were so excited about the change God was making in my life. Their friendship means so much to me. Even though Todd is no longer on earth with us, he is where we all long to be... in the physical presence of our Lord. I have to agree with my friends that I bet Jesus is getting some sweet drum set lessons. ;-)
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