True Missionaries
After dinner that evening everyone enjoyed sitting around and hearing the Taylors’ stories about their first arriving and learning the language. They talked about the friends they had made and the heartbreaks they had already experienced.
Once Susanna was in bed Mr. Taylor announced a surprise for his wife. “We’re going to get to go on a date, sweetheart.”
“Really?” Mrs. Taylor looked at Grandpa Joe and Grandma Kay.
“Really. We set it up already. I’m ready to go when you are.”
“I’ll change in a flash!” Mrs. Taylor was gone and back as fast as she promised. “Thank you so much for giving us this time. We haven’t been on a date since Susanna was born.”
“It’s no trouble for us. We enjoy quiet evenings. And we get to spend time with our wonderful grandchildren.” Rebecca and Joshua couldn’t help but smile at Grandpa Joe’s comment.
“Have a great time,” Grandma Kay said as she walked the couple to the door. “We’ll be okay.”
Mrs. Taylor waved as the two walked up the hill to catch the bus downtown.
Grandpa Joe turned his attention to the children. “Now, there are a few things I’d like to do while they are gone. We could do some cleaning, like the top of the fridge and things like that. We could also wrap the presents we brought for them. And, we could write them a letter to thank them for welcoming us into their home. Let’s pray for them now and then decide how to get the rest of those things done.”
“May I please clean?” Rebecca asked, not waiting until after prayer.
“We’ll decide in a bit, okay?” Grandpa Joe reminded her.
Rebecca nodded and sat on the floor with Joshua near her grandparents. The group prayed for the Taylors and for the country and for the Roma. There was a lot to pray for. They all really wanted to see the Roma of Macedonia following Jesus as their Lord. They prayed for more workers to join the Taylors who wanted to serve God more than anything else.
When the group said their “amen”s, Grandpa Joe took the first job assignment. “I think I would like to write the thank you letter. Rebecca would like to clean. Grandma?” Grandpa Joe looked at his bride asking what she would like to do.
”I’ll take wrapping,” Grandma answered and looked to Joshua. “What do you think you would like to do?”
“Well, Mrs. Taylor said today that we could help a lot by praying. Could I write prayer requests for the Taylors on an email and send it to our family and the friends we write emails to?”
“That’s a wonderful idea.” Grandpa Joe put his hand on Joshua’s shoulder. “Let’s all get to work.”
The team divided up and got to work in the kitchen and living room. Susanna slept in the other room. The kids were asleep by the time the Taylors tiptoed into the room.
“Thank you so much,” Mrs. Taylor said and gave Grandma Kay a hug. “We had a wonderful time.”
The next morning started early for Rebecca and Grandma Kay. The two of them snuck out together to walk to the little store around the corner. They bought eggs, bread, cheese and juice to make breakfast for everyone. Once they got to work in the kitchen preparing everything, it didn’t take Mrs. Taylor long to figure out their surprise.
“What a treat. What are you making?” Mrs. Taylor saw the ingredients they had out.
“Scrambled eggs with cheese and cinnamon toast. Nothing fancy.” Grandma Kay winked at Mrs. Taylor. “You go ahead and take some extra time reading your Bible this morning.
Mrs. Taylor gave Grandma Kay a squeeze and went back into the living room.
The family enjoyed the breakfast feast and talked about the plan for their last day together. Grandpa Joe addressed everyone at the table.
“Today I’m going to spend as much time as I can talking and praying with Mr. and Mrs. Taylor. Grandma Kay would like to spend some time with Mrs. Taylor as well. Can you two play with Susanna this morning? It’s okay if she wants to be with her mom sometimes, too.”
“Of course,” Joshua responded.
“We’ll be so happy to play with her all day! She’s so cute and fun to be with.” Rebecca started making faces at Susanna in her high chair.
“Great. And I hear Grandma Kay and Rebecca are going to be making our dinner today as well. That will be a big help so Mrs. Taylor can be with me to talk about everything on their minds. Let’s all pray together before we start the day.”
Grandpa Joe prayed for everyone. By now they were feeling very much like one big family.
Grandpa Joe, Mr. Taylor and their wives sat around in the living room talking and laughing and asking and answering questions while the kids played as quietly as they could in the other room.
The day passed quickly and happily. The family opened their presents and were excited by the thoughtfulness of their guests. While Susanna took her nap, the children joined the adults for a time of prayer. Then Grandma Kay and Rebecca cooked a simple dinner of chicken and vegetables. The kids emailed home one more time and told their parents they were excited to be seeing them in another day.
Grandma Kay suggested that they all should get their clothes ready for the next day and get everything packed up completely. They had to leave for the airport at four the next morning. Rebecca and Joshua organized their things for the trip the next day. Joshua asked Rebecca why their mom had packed a couple of long sleeved shirts that they never wore. Rebecca thought that Mom had just wanted to make sure they were prepared. Joshua thought it was strange and wondered.
Mr. Taylor listened in as the children were talking.
“Do you remember, Rebecca, how we were going to show people Jesus by how we lived? I’m not sure anyone noticed our lights,” Joshua said, a bit discouraged.
Mr. Taylor piped in. “You children certainly do shine Christ’s light. You have been a big encouragement to us and a big help. Our neighbors have been wondering why you are here and what you have been doing. When we tell them, they can’t understand why you would come all this way when you aren’t even our family. That gives us a chance to share about God’s love and how they can be part of God’s family. Anyone who is truly following Jesus will always make an impact where they are, even if they can’t speak a word.”
“We did do it, Rebecca!” Rebecca smiled at her happy brother.
“Thanks for encouraging us,” Rebecca thanked Mr. Taylor. “We really wanted to share the gospel with someone. We know we would need to learn the language in order to really explain to someone about Jesus. But we’re happy to show people love and make people curious to learn about God.”
“You two are true missionaries,” Mr. Taylor declared
The End.