We want to say We LOVE the Church. The body of Christ is THE most
beautiful bride of all time and eternity! In preparation to leave, I want to
share our own church story.
For Todd and I, First Baptist
Thomasville and Baconton Baptist
churches were where we learned that the stories in the Bible were not
just stories, but real accounts of what God can do through weak and
selfish and sinful...willing people. We learned that Yes, Jesus does
love us SO and we believed it, because the Bible tells us so.
In college we met at the Baptist Student Union. Perhaps the only place
we heard truth our whole college careers was in conjunction with that
little building from a selfless young married couple, Marshall and
Beckie Kerlin. I'd love to find them now! Thank you!
We married and moved 5 times, living
in 3 different cities in 3 years. Those years were dark spiritual places for
us. We were always pulled to the church, but agreeing
on one though was difficult. The most peace and light we knew in those
tumultuous years were in the church always reminding us that God is what
our marriage would rest in.
Carrollwood Baptist in Tampa, Fl, was
our first church home
together. This was the place we grew and served and watched Michael learn to
love and believe Jesus. Todd and I learned God can be trusted with our
lives and the lives of our kids. His
church is worth fighting
through difficulties to see Him work out the good and a faith family
has roots much deeper than blood. Do. Not. Kid. Yourself. A church
family is vital! We were made for relationships that spur us on in
faith, love and good deeds. Under the watchful eye of Odie and Mona Clark, we
grew. They opened their home, kitchen, and hearts to us. We can only
continue to offer ours to others as service to Christ as they modeled
in hopes we will come close! The friends there are too many to name,
but we learned from them all. Community makes this life sweeter, oh so
sweet to laugh with those who laugh and mourn with those who mourn. We
learned to love one another! No matter the cost! We fell in love with
Jesus all over again during this time.
Our brief time in Bradenton taught
us the responsibility of teaching
and discipling our own children. We attended First Baptist Bradenton and
Woodland Baptist church. The
authenticity of Tim and Jennifer
Passmore and the courage they have to push the envelope of expectation
in the spread of the gospel to ALL people was and is refreshing. We
learned sometimes you roll up your sleeves and work harder and when
things need changing you stick it out and change them...together for
the Gospel. Thank God, He does that with us!! Grace abounded there for
those who needed time to learn their place in the family of God.
Steven learned those Bible stories were true, Laura first heard them
there and Michael, got the first inkling he would serve The
Lord in full time ministry, We are blessed!
Westwood Baptist Church, our
current church, there are not enough words for the church that loved us through
the teenage years. Michael was drawn in at 13, then later
Steven and Laura also. They have been
challenged, exposed to mission,
service and leadership. We too learned to lead here. We learned to pray
here and are still learning. Thank you Westwood for your safe love and
grace extended to all the Stones when we've messed up. Les and Page
Hughes know us inside and out and still they love us:), pray for us,
challenge and encourage us even from Louisville. The leaders who
poured into our children...Matt Haines, Jenny Funderburke, Jeff Long,
Jeff and Lori McKenzie, Micah Millican and now Kenneth Bruce...you are
our heroes! We are so thankful for being under your care, your
friends, your family. We lived life with a band of friends that
constantly pushed one another to obedience from the heart! We have poured
into precious teenagers, men and women who mean the whole world to us.
Now to Matt Brooks who challenges us and makes us not really want to
miss a thing that God is doing at Westwood, we owe the peace in
leaving. Peace that God has brought a shepherd to our church who will
stay humbly at the feet of our Savior on behalf of His church, who
will faithfully pray and courageously obey with the greatest love of a
people in the shortest time we've ever seen.
We don't leave the church as we go to Belize. Please know we carry
with us all of you that have helped us believe that God is who He says
He is and he can do what He says He can do!
Thank you for already responding to our needs.
We have found one hot water heater unit from Tampa! A friend of a friend
is on the hunt for a 20 ft covered trailer and boxes are trickling in, still
faster that I am packing:)
Please Continue to Pray:
We plan to put the house on the market in May.
Todd will be traveling most weeks with work until we leave in March.
Pray our application to enter the country is processed quickly so we can ship
our belongings.
Our dates we will be in Belize are March 6-April 15
During April and May we will be back for weddings, graduation and the job hunt!
In June we will leave for Belize with a one way ticket!!
Blessings,
Shirley
