by
Larry Pearce
6/4/22
Fellow missionary to Haiti, Joe Kaufman, saying “Goodbye” with Susan, Annie, & Matt – 1978
If you recall from reading the Prelude, I’ve always wanted my life to be centered on God while servicing others. I feel badly for anyone who worries about money and the tangible things in life. I’m reminded of the joke about a guy who died with instructions to have all his cash buried with him. The story goes that his wife wrote a check for that amount and had the funeral director place it in his hand while removing the cash and giving it to her as the casket was closed and lowered into the burial vault. As the old saying goes, ‘You can’t take it with you.” A little sacrifice here and there and the spiritual rewards will come back many-fold, more than money can buy. As my work ethic came from my parents, so did my Missions & Ministries desire. I must admit that the leadership part of all this seemed to be suddenly sprung on me; I certainly didn’t see it coming. That was back in my High School days at Moon, but by the time Susan and I were married we were blessed to be able to travel to various parts of this country, the Caribbean, and Europe in the names of church organizations: Haiti (West Indies Missions), England, Florida, & North Carolina (Wycliffe Bible Translators), and Louisiana (United Methodist Committee on Relief), to name a few. Perhaps even more rewarding has been our various positions in church music, some paid and some gratis. This semi-career is still ongoing, and I’ll cover that in the second part of Chapter 5. The friends we made and the experiences we had have been beyond the “Cup full and overflowing” promised in scriptures. The best part is that we’re not done yet!
And here’s a hint of even more things to come in Chapter 6, “More Retirement Activities” (expected in June, 2022). After listing our family vacations, some of which we were able to combine with what I have considered “mission work” covered in this chapter, I’ll dig into a passion that has totally captured my attention for the past 20 years: Researching, writing, and reporting family history on this website. I consider this to be every bit a mission and ministry, taking my wife and me to faraway lands like England and Utah and places not so faraway, such as Eastern Pennsylvania and Western Ohio. Thank the Good Lord that Susan and I have the health, the time, and the resources to travel, discover, and report on our findings.
Move to: Chapter 5A – MY MISSIONS & MINISTRIES, Various Volunteer Services &
—5B – Church Music
Return to: Table of Contents
Last revised 6/2/22