Another significant reason for which I’m thankful:

In the center of our living room is the cedar coffee table Kirt bought for $25 the first month we were in Tepic from an American English teacher who was returning to the States. By hand, Kirt routed out a rectangle in the center of the table to insert the hand-painted tile inlay he bought for me in a little village outside of Guadalajara; the same coffee table is marked with undeniable evidence that it has served as a fort, a game table, a dance floor, a school desk, a work bench, a boat, a diving board and a stretcher for our kids and their friends for 30 years. It now supports one of my prized possessions, a bronze statue of Jesus embracing a faithful servant dressed in jeans and a work shirt as He welcomes him home.






The engraved plaque on the base of the sculpture says:


Here Is the Hope of Every Believer
To Be Welcomed Into Eternal Glory
By Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ
and Hear Him Say These Words:
“WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT.”

For the third year since Kirt was promoted to Jesus’ open arms, Pastor McKeown led a group from North Village Baptist Church to Tepic for the annual anniversary celebration of the Iglesia Biblica Bautista de Tepic. He graphically illustrated his message and this year’s theme, God’s Gift, when he presented me with the powerful reminder of the open arms of Jesus that wait with anticipation for His children to come into His presence. What a profound hope. The "Welcome Home" sculpture is a treasured gift for which I will be forever grateful.

I will also be forever grateful for Pastor McKeown’s transparency, supportiveness, bringing of hope, and willingness to accept the office of "shepherd-at-large" to this remarkable flock of spotted sheep.

"...Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." Matthew 25:21