The Journey of Grace Begins
- Rich Davis
- Sep 10
- 3 min read
Fond Farewells
Missionary life is full of “Hello’s” and “Goodbyes.” The biggest challenge is saying goodbye, even if it is not for an indefinite period. This time, the goodbyes for us did not have a definite return date, which reminded us of Paul’s departure from the Ephesian elders on the beach in Miletus (Acts 20).
Last October (2024), Jo Ann and I were participating in a joint regional conference with most of the ABWE missionaries in Europe. We were all gathered in Greece, and on the final night of the conference, Jo Ann and I were surprised by being called to the front of the auditorium and recognized for over 50 years of missionary service in the foreign field with ABWE. The biggest surprise was a beautiful book of memories that was presented to us with pictures from our missionary career and notes from many of you! Yes, our administrators had contacted many of our supporting churches, asking that people who knew us send notes encouraging us, and we were encouraged to the point of tears of joy. We will never forget that moment and all the love that went into putting that book together, with the notes of love and encouragement. We have that book on our display table now as we visit our supporting churches.
Then, a couple of weeks before we were to depart from Moldova, we were invited to a special service at the Imago Dei Baptist Church, which we helped to start with two amazing young men and their families. Pastor Mihai presented us with an original painting by an incredible Moldovan artist, depicting our life’s journey from our hippie days, through our years in Peru, our time in India, our years in Central America, and our time at Bluewater Bible College in St. Thomas, and finally to Moldova, to the gates of heaven. No, we are not dead yet! But there are heavenly gates in the painting!
We finished our course in Europe and were blessed with the most wonderful farewells from our missionary colleagues and national partners. It was not easy to say goodbye, but it was time for us to redeploy to the USA – our new ministry base.
Happy Hello’s
Upon arrival in Pennsylvania, we needed to get our house back in shape, replace appliances, and adjust to life back in our home culture. It may take a while for us to adjust to life in the US. The biggest project was preparing to report to our supporting churches. And now, we are on the road! We drove from our home in New Cumberland, PA, to Denver, CO, to begin visiting many of you who have prayed for us over the years. Following is a list of churches we are scheduled to visit, along with their corresponding dates. We are looking forward to preaching, reporting, fellowshipping, and sharing with you our hopes and dreams for future ministries throughout this five-month “Journey of Grace.”
Church State Date
Calvary Community Baptist Church CO September 6-7 Missions Conference
Beth Eden Baptist Church, Denver CO September 14
Arvada Baptist Church, Arvada CO September 21
Airport Baptist Church, Aurora CO September 28
Columbine Baptist Church CO October 3-5 Missions Conference
Littleton Baptist Church CO October 12
Bennett Baptist Church CO October 19
Redwood City Baptist Church CA October 26
Trinity Church, Sunnyvale CA November 2
Legacy Baptist Church, Yuba City CA November 9
First Baptist Church, Santa Maria CA November 16
Pine Grove Baptist, Santa Maria CA November 23
Western Ave. Baptist, Brawley CA November 30
Newberry Community Church,
Newberry Springs CA December 7
Bible Baptist Church, Romeoville IL January 11
Spring Creek Church, Pewaukee WI January 18
We just finished our kickoff Missions Conference in Northglenn, CO, at Calvary Community Baptist Church, which is our home/sending church. We are looking forward to a great time in each church and with many friends along the way. Thank you for your faithful support, and please continue to pray for us as we travel.
