I held my grandson in my arms and then gave him back to his mother, Hannah. I put him to sleep as we were leaving the next morning, too early to look on his little sweet face again. That was back in early October 2019.

One of the things I struggle with most about being a missionary is not being able to see our four grandchildren as much as I’d like. I got to greet Nathan, now seven months old, and Peyton, now six months old, when they were still brand-new. Being long-distance grandparents makes us long for those sweet little fingers and toes. Sometimes my eyes fill with tears when I see pictures of my grandchildren laughing in a playpen or taking a bath. I get to see a lot of their “firsts” electronically. I guess we should at least be thankful for technology.

Hudson Taylor left society for years at a time. The Bible tells us that unless we are willing to leave mothers and fathers and our land, we are not worthy of being Christ’s disciples. So, joyfully we go about our work in far-off Australia, Cambodia, Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea. I count on God to comfort me when I miss those I love so much.

Our little granddaughter Ashley is eight years old now, and she loves for us to bring her coins and bills from other countries for her collection, but we miss the day-to-day activities of her life.

We have another grandson, Ashton, who is almost three years old. When I hear his precious voice call me Grampa, I realize how big he is getting, and I wish I could be a daily part of his life.

When we pass through Cambodia, we get to see our grandson, Nathan Lewis. What a joy it is to hear him giggle!
We can’t wait for heaven when all our tears and heartaches will be wiped away. To see people raised to new life from the grave of baptism makes it all worth it. Thank you for your prayers and letters. Please also pray for our grandchildren.

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