Joyful Transformation

Today I am sad. My favorite elder, the one who is ‘real people’ through and through has been relocated with his job and is leaving us. Yesterday was an extremely emotional day for us. One of our ladies who has been on our prayer list with personal problems watched as her preteen daughter was baptized. Maybe this will help her whole family to turn to God for the healing that they need. Then Butch, the aforementioned elder, got up and made his announcement with tears and a wonderful speech about how he had felt so at home here. I am sure that many people already knew, but many of us were caught off guard and the tears flowed freely. See, Butch is the elder that we knew went to the tanning bed before he went to Hawaii. He wears real shorts in the summer. He has jumped in to every project we have had and worked hard to see it successful. I have gone to funerals in other towns or out-lying communities and he is always there. He has been an encouragement and an inspiration to me. We joke in my ladies class that he stays in the other room to hear what we are saying, but we all love him and we will all miss him. I am proud for he and his wife Kathy, as this is a great opportunity for them. Kathy will retire from her job and get to do the things that she loves to do. North Carolina’s gain will be our loss. I wish them God-speed and just want them to know they will be taking a piece of my heart with them.

May the love that we have for Butch inspire all of us to be ‘real’. We can be people of God without a lot of pretense and false humility. My prayer for those of us left behind is that we will be better people for having experienced his life.