Dear St. Luke’s,
We have sat down several times to communicate our gratitude to you and the body of Christ at St. Luke’s, but finding the right words has proven more challenging than I had anticipated.
For a bit of context, my wife and I, along with our two children, have served as missionaries in East Asia for the last 20 years. I can’t say exactly where we serve, as the country is antagonistic towards Christianity, and we need to be discreet about our work there in order to protect the ministry and the locals that we work with.
We were at a conference in a neighboring country when Covid-19 hit, and we were not allowed to return to our apartment when the border was closed. We therefore had to make an unplanned and unexpected return to the US. It usually takes months of planning to get everything in order for extended time here, but this time we had a few days.
We were in need of a place to call home while displaced from our own home back in East Asia, and St. Luke’s opened its doors to us. While we didn’t know anyone at St. Luke’s personally, a friend of a friend did. We were put in touch with Steve Lehenbauer who helped us settle in. St. Luke’s came alongside us, offering a roof over our heads, furniture, and even some groceries to get us started.
I think that this is an example of what the apostle Paul referred to in Philippians 1:5 as “partnership in the gospel”. Thank you, St. Luke’s, for the care that you have shown to strangers in the name of Christ. This home away from home has been a haven to help us be better prepared to return to the mission of making Christ’s name known in East Asia!
Warmly,
Clint and Sung