One of the joys that we have experienced this month has been spending time with dear people who have been missionaries or have lives in other countries—people who we, all of a sudden, have something in common with.

These saints in Christ, who have faithfully served Him and believers in other countries, have become tremendous supporters in their advice and encouragement. By the grace of God, they willingly told their stories, relating example after example of the unwavering love and steadfast faithfulness of our Heavenly Father.

Rev. Larry Meinzen is one such individual. He grew up in India as the child of a missionary and then returned there to teach for fourteen years. He grew up speaking Tamil, a language we will become familiar with in Sri Lanka. He impressed on us the importance of practicing faith in the family, especially in the midst of a new and different culture. He said that God would give us opportunities through the Holy Spirit to practice the fruits of the Spirit, to work at love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control in the place we live and with those around us.

We thank God for the grace and love that he has shown us in placing fellow missionaries and mission-minded people in our lives as we prepare to follow Christi in Sri Lanka.

Vicar Benjamin and Grace Vanderhyde serve the Lord through The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) as missionaries in Sri Lanka. In his role as vicar, Benjamin trains up musicians to serve the Ceylon Evangelical Lutheran Church while assisting the other LCMS missionaries serving in Sri Lanka with their work and learning from them. You can read more about the Vanderhydes at www.lcms.org/vanderhyde.