The Mission Foundation
Dear friends,
Some
of you may have wondered what happened with regard to our April letter. I am sorry that, in the midst of an extremely
demanding season of ministry, my monthly correspondence with you has been
delayed.
April
and early May have been blessed days of labor.
Bec and I give thanks to God for His workings through The Gathering of
Men and Monday Morning for Men (Ruston Calvary Baptist Church
Yesterday
the Senate held their annual “Military
Family Day” in remembrance of eleven of our soldiers who have died during
the past year. It was a beautiful
ceremony that included presentations by the Baton Rouge Bagpipes and Drums and
the LA National Guard Color Guard. Very
meaningful words of remembrance were given for each fallen soldier, and there
were times of silent prayer and moments of comfort for the families. It was very moving to see every member of the
Senate coming to the front to offer personal words to the members of each
family. I must emphasize that there were
words of reflection on the life of each soldier
as his picture was shown before us, and expressions of comfort were offered to each family. It was a lovingly and appropriately extended
time of communicating respectful gratitude and of coming alongside the
grieving.
It
was my honor to have been invited to present the opening prayer. Before the ceremony began, I spent a brief
moment with each of the family members.
As I moved from one to the next there in the Senate gallery, their eyes
and their voices disclosed the greatness of the sorrow they carried in their
hearts. Their loved ones had paid the
ultimate price for our freedom and for the freedom of others in this
world. As I write, I am remembering the
weighty grief in the eye of a young widow; I am hearing a father’s voice muted
by sadness as he spoke to me; and I am seeing the mourning on a mother’s face
as she reached out to shake my hand. What
great loss.
But
at the end of the “Military Family Day,” recognition was also given to a living
heroin! – WWII U.S. Navy Wave, Mrs. Dorothy Bauer, mother of Mr. Keith Bauer,
one of our Senate guards. Mrs. Bauer,
who was a nurse and one of only 300 women trained to be a part of a flight
crew, flew over 100 hours a month,
often flying great distances over the Atlantic and Pacific
with our wounded soldiers. As Mrs.
Bauer, who had her 90th birthday in April, stood with her son Keith
at the front of the chamber, and the words of her commendation were ended, the
members of the Senate, and all others present, stood in applause!
May
God help us to continually and gratefully remember our fallen soldiers and
their families. And may God remind us to
regularly express our sincere appreciation to those who have served in our
military in any capacity.
Also,
may God enable us to be faithful in prayer.
Please pray for the grieving families not only here in Louisiana
In
closing, we want to say again that we give thanks to God for you. Thank you for all of your prayers, your
words of encouragement, and your support of us in our work.
In
the love of our Savior,
Rod
and Bec
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