Moving on...

This last weekend marked the end of my time at the Riverside Gospel Church in Kirkintilloch. It was a time of both sadness and rejoicing. It was a sad time because it was a time of goodbyes; it was a time of rejoicing because it was a time of giving thanks for the many good things God has done in people's lives over the past two years.

On Saturday night, the church gave me a nice send off party. After a great meal, they had a program in which a number of people stood up and thanked me for the help they had received over this time. It was a touching time in which many people thanked me for things I had never even realised had made a difference. It was an encouraging reminder that God has indeed been working mightily in many people's lives.

At the end of the program on Saturday night, they presented a slide show whilst playing Michael W Smith's song "Friends." As the song played, pictures of me with all my friends from the church passed in front of me, bringing back memories of many good times together. I had a hard time holding back tears as all those wonderful memories were brought to mind.

On Sunday, I preached twice. The church was packed for the main service, and three more people talked with us afterwards to tell us that they had surrendered their lives to Christ in response to that day's message. Then in the evening, I preached my last message to the church. My friends, Narineh and Daniel, also came along to support me during my farewell service, and Narineh and I sang "How Great Thou Art" together in Spanish, Farsi and English.

I thank God for these past two years. I have seen a lot of people come to Christ and have been able to stick around long enough to watch a number of them grow. I have seen many people grow and change so much over the past two years that one would hardly recognise them as the same people. And I have made friends for whose love and friendship I will be grateful for the rest of my life because knowing them has also changed me.

time in Kirkintilloch drawing to a close

It's hard to believe that my time in Kirkintilloch is coming so quickly to an end. That day when I arrived in October of 2003 seems just like yesterday in some ways, while in other ways it seems an eternity ago. A lot has happened in this time, and in a way I feel like an almost entirely different person than I was then.

Tonight is my first farewell event. The youth fellowship from the church is taking me out to see a pantomime. I've never been to one, so it should be an interesting experience. Then next week, the whole church is having a dinner and a special service afterwards to give thanks for the time we've spent together at Riverside.

This past week, I've been kept busy trying to make sure all the business is taken care of that needs to be done before I leave, and this next week will be more of the same. I'll also be busy at church events and visiting various people that I won't be seeing in awhile. Then my last Sunday at the church is on the 18th. It will be a sad week in some ways, but I think it will also be a time of celebration as well for the things we have seen God doing in people's lives.