How Can We See Our Family During a Pandemic?

May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.

                                                                     Psalm 67:1-2

For some time Lesley and I have been experiencing a growing sense of distance from our families in California and Colorado. It’s been more than a year since we’ve seen many of them and we’ve had an increasing desire to find some way to visit. As our parents get older we want to take advantage of every opportunity to honor them and to be with them. We want to support our sisters who are caring for them

After much consideration and prayer, we’ve decided to take a road trip to see them all. Given the current pandemic, driving seems like the best way to get a little time with everyone while minimizing risk. And Lesley and I love road trips! We’ll get to see our parents, sisters, and three of our children as we swing through California and Colorado.

We hit the road on Monday, July 27, and, Lord willing, will return on Saturday, August 22. I’m actually writing this from Fort Smith, Arkansas. Next stop, New Mexico!

We are grateful for the opportunity to do this and for being part of a leadership team and eldership that serves so capably and makes a break like this possible. I’m especially grateful for those who will be preaching and serving while I’m gone. Please pray for Kristo and Matt, as they preach to RGC for the first time on August 2 and 9, and for Vince who will speak on August 16 and 23. If you would like to support them by being part of an in-person audience while they preach for the recorded service (socially distanced, of course), please come to the church building at 2:00 p.m. on Fridays (masks are optional).

Would you please pray for us that God would give us the desire of our hearts to see our families (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)? Would you pray for us that God would bless us and make us a blessing to our families so that He would be glorified in each one? And would you pray that the Lord would spare us all from this terrible virus?

We love you, will be praying for you, and look forward to seeing you again in late August.

Mark and Lesley

P.S. Got comments or questions about this post, or ideas for another one? Email me at . Looking for the follow-up I mentioned last week, and the week before? I haven’t forgotten!