A great getaway for Ministers/Spouses and Missionaries only.

Preston asked me to send this note to you.

“Dear Joplin District Church Family,

I just wanted to say thank you to all of the churches and people who have helped us and supported our family. We greatly appreciate it. It helps us get through the days waiting until we are all together again.”

Our family would also like to express our gratitude for your extreme generosity throughout these past few months. We have often been on the giving end of needs in our churches and communities, but this is quite different. Our little drop in the bucket does not usually seem like much, but now we can truly see how much difference it makes! Thank you for walking with us through this journey. Your prayers, cards, texts, emails, monetary gifts, Facebook posts, visits and other gifts have been a source of encouragement for us. 

We cannot help but think back to July as we stood at District Assembly, soaking in blessings from God through community and the praise team, storing up for the road ahead. We can testify He is gracious, and His face is turned toward us. We have His favor, and our family, and our children and our children’s children. His presence goes before us, behind us, beside us, all around us. HE IS FOR US!

In August, when we requested prayer for Preston as he was rushed to Mercy Children’s Hospital in Kansas City, even before he arrived, the whispers of “miracle” were on the lips of the medical professionals. “It’s a miracle he didn’t die at practice!” “It’s a miracle he is even alive!” And the next day, “It’s a miracle he is sitting there saying, ‘I got a burger and a shake! I’m livin’ the life!’” We are firsthand witnesses that God is still in the miracle business!

The professionals are constantly amazed at the progress Preston has made and we often get to point to God as the source. The doctors describe his condition as not cured but trading one serious disease for a lesser one. He will require life-long medication to aid in not rejecting his new heart and he will eventually need another transplant.

We are reminded of the story in Acts 3, of Peter and John passing by the beggar at the Temple gate. “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” (Acts3:6 NIV) And as the children’s song goes, “He went walking and leaping and praising God!” Preston is running now, only 11 weeks out of surgery! His new life is a testament to God’s glory and mercy in our lives and we praise God!

We realize that we are not the only family on our district with serious health problems. Sometimes the dramatic and immediate, the urgent prayer requests prompt us to spring into action, as they should. We are The Church, and we are followers of The Nazarene! But there are other families right here on our district who also have serious health concerns for their children or themselves. Wouldn’t it be like Jesus to keep on giving? What if we could somehow consistently give (as we do in many other ways) to help those needs, even before someone might be experiencing a hardship, or pray those prayers, anticipating the struggles that are approaching some? What if we could take the worry out of monetary needs so they could focus on the physical and spiritual needs of their family as you have done for us? 

The Curious George theme song begins, “You never do know what’s around the bend - A big adventure or a brand-new friend.” For us, both are true. We doubt this is a bend we willingly would have turned toward, but that’s why God created one-way roads and narrow lanes. As we continue our big adventure, we are truly blessed to have you as our brand-new friends! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

P.S. Preston should be able to go home from Kansas City around December 16^th!

Tim, Penny, Andy, Preston, Xavier and Jaimee Hardyman