You are loved. You are missed. I understand.

I have the pleasure of going to an amazing church here in Mobile. It is filled with many loving people that have shown me the immeasurable love of Christ. Our Pastors and Ministers are top notch! No church is perfect because, of course, it's made up of people and people are far from perfect, but The Lord is alive, well, and working among us. So what happens when the Associate Pastor of 11 years stands up in front of the church one Sunday morning and announces that he and his family of 7 have been called to move to Africa? What should the reaction of those that have lived life with this family be? What should the reaction of the church be?

First, you cry like the baby that you are because these people are your family in every way but DNA. They saw you grow through the embarrassment of your awkward phase in middle school. They steered you in the right direction when you rebelled in high school and they earnestly prayed for you when you moved away from home for college. They cried with you on the way home from a mission trip to Peru that changed all your lives. They were also there with open arms when you decided to transfer back home. They actually did life with you. Cooking meals. Playing board games. Learning from the Word. Together. So, you mourn the leaving of a family that could never be replaced.

Second, you smile to yourself quietly because you've seen this coming for some time now. Almost six years ago, Michael and Melinda adopted two little ones to complete their family. Where were these little ones born? Africa, of course. I can only smile when I think about the steps The Lord has put in place to lead this sweet family to Africa. TJ and Brielle, their adopted two, were a crucial step to life in Africa. I praise God for using two orphans to show the Pierce family what he has for them on the other side of the world. It is quite a beautiful picture of the gospel. Christ redeems and adopts us into his family, then leads us back into the world to minister to others. Praise God!

After crying and reminiscing, we as their friends and also as their family in Christ must fervently pray for them. It has been a long road to Uganda. It is vitally important that we pray for them. For their transition. For their family. For their ministry. For the lives they will touch. For the lives that will touch them. For the salvation of those they minister to.

If I could say one thing to the Pierce family, it would be thank you. Thank you for showing me Christ. Thank you for pouring 11 years of your lives into mine and the life of our church. Thank you for sharing your home, your homemade Olive Garden dressing, and the Word with me. Thank you for praying for me. I will do the same for you. Thank you for following what The Lord called you to do even to the ends of the Earth. You are loved. You are missed. I understand that The Lord has great things for you and your family.

Michael and Melinda Pierce, along with their children, Eli, Mattea, Wyatt, TJ, and Brielle moved to Uganda on December 21, 2016. They work for the Amazima Ministries. Follow their journey on their Facebook page "We Don't But God Does". Above all, pray for this sweet family and their ministry.