Just Sayin' Thanks...

Over at notes from dave, I write on some of the issues facing the short-term mission world. The other day I was reading through an old blog post of mine and decided to look again at the comments. It was there that I saw that one of those people commenting spoke of how a pastor had had a positive impact on his life. I thought about that for awhile and then, since I knew both people pretty well, passed the comment along. Being in ministry, we frequently never get to see the results of our ministry. Especially if you are involved in youth ministry. Often times any change that someone may experience will come years after contact has been lost, and with it a chance to say thank you. Within a few moments of passing that comment along, I received a note back from that youth pastor saying thank you. He was going through a particularly difficult time in ministry, was discouraged, and the comments I sent him were a well received and appreciated encouragement. I wanted to take a few moments today and say thank you myself. To a long time friend with whom I worked almost 20 years ago. I was a sorta young youth pastor and the church where I was serving was scheduled to go on their annual mission trip to Mexico. Now for me this was something totally new. But I soon found out I was supposed to be in charge. Think about that for few seconds. A guy barely thirty years old, in charge of a group of high school students, in another country, where they didn’t speak English. I was scared to death. But there right beside me was Dr. Dave, our Minister of Christian Education. Now as I look back, with the benefit of 20 years experience serving in Mexico, I can tell you we made a lot of mistakes. But I can also tell you this. Dr. Dave Gallagher helped plant the seeds for cross cultural ministry in me. Over time those seeds have been watered by many great people, but were it not for that initial investment of time and energy, and Dave pushing me into what was then a pretty new style of ministry, who knows what I would be doing today. In just a few days I will be going to Green Lake Conference Center in Wisconsin to help plan the 2010 National Conference for the Fellowship of Short-Term Mission Leaders. Dave has a home there now after many years of ministry. Unfortunately, while I am there, he will be on the road and we will miss each other. So Dave, if you get a chance to read this, and through facebook, I am guessing you will, even though we did not always see eye to eye, thank you. You planted the seeds that have forever changed my life. Hermano David, Dios le bendiga!