Our last Sunday at STBC was filled with so many emotions...encouragement, sadness, joy, love, happiness, loss, excitement, anxiousness, and precious memories...yes, so many wonderful memories have been made over the last 9 years! I knew this would be a hard day, but it was also such a great day. I have heard Brian say several times since then that it was the most encouraging day he has ever had. The body of Christ loved us well & sent us out to our new mission field just the way God intended. Of course it's hard to say "goodbye"...as it should be! (the really sad thing would be if it weren't a sad thing...follow?)
One of my favorite parts of the day was when Brian shared from Philippians chapter 1 with the parents during Sunday School and then again Sunday evening at the end of the service. He cried both times, because like I said in my post from last night, it truly depicts exactly how we feel about our STBC family. The funniest part of the day was the video the teenagers put together for Brian! They have him pegged pretty well! It was good to be able to laugh through the tears! Brian had an amazing last week in Belize with the kids and it was kind of as if God gave him the gift of seeing the fruit of his labor over the years. Ministry has not always been easy, but God is faithful and He has done great things! After the Belize report, the church had a lovely reception for us. We received so many cards and notes of encouragement, as well as a love offering from our church that was a HUGE blessing to us. Chris made all kinds of wonderful food, but neither of us got to eat any of it because we were busy talking to people the whole time. =0/// I will say...I was emotionally, physically, spiritually and mentally drained after this day.
It's almost surreal and hard to imagine not raising our kids here...but we know that God has another church home for us that will become our new place. STBC will always have a very special place in our hearts and be a "Home" to us though!
It has been a great ride these past 9 years at STBC...all thanks, praise & glory be to God, great things He has done!!
Here is the "thank you" letter that we wrote to the church a few weeks later.
Dear South Tulsa Baptist Church,
How do we even begin to express our feelings and the love we have for our church family? God has been so good to give us 9 beautiful years with you! It has brought us such joy and happiness to serve the Lord alongside you. Thank you for walking with our family through the celebrations and the losses in our life over the past 9 years. As you can see from these pictures, our family has grown a lot during our time here! Thank you for loving and teaching our children and partnering with us to pour the love of Jesus into their little lives. We are forever better because of the time we have spent at STBC!
We have loved deeply, so saying "goodbye" hurts deeply. Thank you for the supporting us, encouraging us, blessing us with a love offering, and sending us off ready for the new assignment God has for us in Oklahoma City. Thank you for making us feel like STBC will always be our "Home." We truly do carry you in our hearts and look forward to the day that we will all worship our Lord together again!
We will leave you with a few verses from the first chapter of Philippians that are such a clear picture of how we feel about you..."I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart..."
We Love You,
Brian, Candace, Mackenzie, Madison & Jonah
Here is the link for the slideshow the teenagers put together for Brian! So funny and special!
Mackenzie's Sunday School class had a little party for her...so very thoughtful and sweet! Thankfully, the kids weren't as affected by the sadness as we were.
We got this sweet text from Pastor Ted a few days before...we love him very much!
And, here are the pictures we took from the Reception that evening. I love it that Brian got to leave his ministry at STBC on such a sweet note, the night of the Belize report...listening to teenagers talk about how God was working in their lives and able see firsthand the fruit of his labor.
Connie teased about wearing all black to church on this day, so we had a really great laugh when she pulled out her mourning shawl! LOL!
Here is a picture I wanted to throw in of Brian and Karen in Belize.
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