I've been a pastor's wife for 22 years. There are lots of things that come with being a pastor's wife. Mostly good things. There have been troubles and pain, but I've not starved or been shipwrecked. If there have been sad times, good things were just around the corner. There are always those that brighten the corner where they are and it spreads to others. Anything is what you make it. You can be a happy camper or a grouchy one.
Being the pastor's family means that we are the ones that feed and sometimes house missionaries and visiting preacher/pastors. I can't say I was always as hospitable as I should have been every single time someone came through town to eat or stay with us. Sometimes it was a week with 7 children, sometimes it was one simple meal on a Wednesday night.
I wish I had kept a book and had everybody that came through, sign it and date it. It would be wonderful to have a record of everybunny that has stayed with us and shared meals with us and good times. There have been many!!
So, I will call it a Pastoral Perk. You all know what a *perk* is! You work at Starbuck's and you get a free package of coffee every week. Work at a department store and get 20% off of your purchases on top of the sales. Work at a bakery and you get to bring home day old donuts. Now THAT is a PERK.
What we've been doing for 22 years is enjoying the *perk* of getting to know missionaries and preacher/pastors...........even though it might look like more trouble than it's worth, it has been WORTH every effort put forth. They share a meal with us in our home.....the wife helps in the kitchen.....her older girls may clean up the whole meal.....the younger boys played with our boys.....my husband and the missionary/preacher/pastor get to visit in the front room........we get bedrooms ready....they stay all night.....they park their trailer at the church or on our driveway.......we eat breakfast together.....we talk and talk and talk and get to know each other. We play games, we watch movies, the kids swing....and we even had a missionary son juggle for us in the front room before we left for church one Sunday morning. It's a great thing.
Missionaries: We get letters.....from a far country....they come to the states....they make a date with us....we haven't seen them for 10? years......they stay a day....an evening....or just for a meal......and then they leave. If we kept them all here and surrounded ourselves with these people we call our friends, who would tell the gospel to those in South Africa? Mexico? Ireland? Our oldest daughter told me she made friends for a *day* and that it was very sad to see the girls go.
Preacher/Pastors: We know them from different churches.....they come to preach to our church for a week or so.....they stay with us in our home.....they play games with our kids and teach them songs. They are just good friends that can't stay. What if we kept them here.....those men and women we call friends.....who would fill their spot back at their home?
These people don't come to stay........they come because they are on a mission. And we get to be a part of it. To get to know these people better is a blessing that is hard to explain. I can truly say I've got friends all over the world. And one of these days we will all be in heaven.
When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be,
When we all see Jesus,
We'll sing and shout the victory!
I've got memories......lots of them ! Showing off my avocado tree.....buying calendars at the mall, putting on aprons and taking pictures, talking about coffee, racing home from church in two cars, getting bottles of vanilla in the mail, grinding meat, buying ice cream, playing games, dropping cakes, sharing home-schooling ideas......
It has been a blessing to have men come through and have our children sit and listen to the things they say. I'm glad that my kids have learned some things from the best.
This was our latest *time* with missionaries. The Castner family......they had a birthday and we got to be a part of it. It was sad to see them go, but they have work to do.
Being the pastor's family means that we are the ones that feed and sometimes house missionaries and visiting preacher/pastors. I can't say I was always as hospitable as I should have been every single time someone came through town to eat or stay with us. Sometimes it was a week with 7 children, sometimes it was one simple meal on a Wednesday night.
I wish I had kept a book and had everybody that came through, sign it and date it. It would be wonderful to have a record of everybunny that has stayed with us and shared meals with us and good times. There have been many!!
So, I will call it a Pastoral Perk. You all know what a *perk* is! You work at Starbuck's and you get a free package of coffee every week. Work at a department store and get 20% off of your purchases on top of the sales. Work at a bakery and you get to bring home day old donuts. Now THAT is a PERK.
What we've been doing for 22 years is enjoying the *perk* of getting to know missionaries and preacher/pastors...........even though it might look like more trouble than it's worth, it has been WORTH every effort put forth. They share a meal with us in our home.....the wife helps in the kitchen.....her older girls may clean up the whole meal.....the younger boys played with our boys.....my husband and the missionary/preacher/pastor get to visit in the front room........we get bedrooms ready....they stay all night.....they park their trailer at the church or on our driveway.......we eat breakfast together.....we talk and talk and talk and get to know each other. We play games, we watch movies, the kids swing....and we even had a missionary son juggle for us in the front room before we left for church one Sunday morning. It's a great thing.
Missionaries: We get letters.....from a far country....they come to the states....they make a date with us....we haven't seen them for 10? years......they stay a day....an evening....or just for a meal......and then they leave. If we kept them all here and surrounded ourselves with these people we call our friends, who would tell the gospel to those in South Africa? Mexico? Ireland? Our oldest daughter told me she made friends for a *day* and that it was very sad to see the girls go.
Preacher/Pastors: We know them from different churches.....they come to preach to our church for a week or so.....they stay with us in our home.....they play games with our kids and teach them songs. They are just good friends that can't stay. What if we kept them here.....those men and women we call friends.....who would fill their spot back at their home?
These people don't come to stay........they come because they are on a mission. And we get to be a part of it. To get to know these people better is a blessing that is hard to explain. I can truly say I've got friends all over the world. And one of these days we will all be in heaven.
When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be,
When we all see Jesus,
We'll sing and shout the victory!
I've got memories......lots of them ! Showing off my avocado tree.....buying calendars at the mall, putting on aprons and taking pictures, talking about coffee, racing home from church in two cars, getting bottles of vanilla in the mail, grinding meat, buying ice cream, playing games, dropping cakes, sharing home-schooling ideas......
It has been a blessing to have men come through and have our children sit and listen to the things they say. I'm glad that my kids have learned some things from the best.
This was our latest *time* with missionaries. The Castner family......they had a birthday and we got to be a part of it. It was sad to see them go, but they have work to do.
Comments
This should be "required reading" for all future pastors' wives.
I ♥ you, Mrs Mobunny!