Glenn and I drove to Antigua to visit Paul and Ruth.
They are the definition of the word missionary.
They have raised their children here on the mission field, having arrived in the mid 1950s. Evangelism, church planting, media ministries, church statistics, teaching men's and women's SS classes, retreat center management are just a few of the many things they have been involved with.
Imagine being called to this beautiful country, Guatemala, to serve the Lord?
Paul and Ruth both love the Lord and you can tell that by the expressions on their faces.
I walked around the back of the house with Ruth admiring the flowers in their back yard, finally ending up on a park bench.
The flowers were beautiful.
As we sat there and visited with their daughter, who was visiting her parents from the states, we talked about politics, old memories from arriving on the mission field in the 50's, to attending Moody Bible Institute in Chicago to God's faithfulness through the years. Ruth introduced me to her daughter several times not remembering that she had just done that 5 minutes prior. Memory has become her recent challenge. Yet, I smile. I get it. My mom struggles with the same illness.
Today, our joy was to pay a visit to Paul and Ruth.
This is our job!
This is pastoral care.
To listen to their stories, to ask them questions, to see how they were doing, to encourage them and to pray for them.
However we came home being blessed ourselves.
We thank the Lord for Paul and Ruth's ministry here in Guatemala for over 60+ years.
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