1 Thessalonians 1:2-3

2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers,               3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father,

Back in 1971, Loretta and I came to Missouri Street with the intention of staying in West Memphis probably for a year or two.  West Memphis wasn’t the most glamorous of destinations, and we really didn’t know what God had in store for us.  We had considered mission work, but really felt uncertain about what the future held for us.

As the years have gone by, we have come to appreciate the words of this passage from Paul more and more.  It is not the beauty of the city that has endeared itself to us, it is the beauty of the hearts of our brothers and sisters here at MoSt that has been the glue that held us.  John Rash used to say “When you get your feet in the gumbo here, you can’t get away.”  That gumbo is the love of God in the hearts of our people here.  We have come to love deeply, and have been loved deeply by this family of believers.  You are in our prayers, as we know we have been in yours.  Thank God for all of you.  You have blessed our lives in more ways that we can express.