The gift of love
Sarita Ladios found Christ in our church in the Philippines. She grew in the Lord, worked as my secretary for many years and then accepted a call from God to serve as missionary to Ukraine in a daughter church that we have come alongside. She established a powerful children’s ministry there and an outreach to youth. Serving as a missionary for many years has one great risk–never marrying. Sarita accepted that risk and served with all her heart.
She turned 41 this year and God had a wonderful surprise for her. Last Fall she attended a 12 week training in basic community development held in Alabama. In the same training was a man named Wade Robinson who was serving in Sierra Leone, the worst run, poorest country in the world. A spark was lit and they have carefully explored the idea of a relationship for a year now. Along the journey, with Sarita back in Ukraine, Wade proposed, she accepted, Uncle Sam also approved and granted her a fiance visa to join him in West Virginia.
Today I had the joy of performing their wedding ceremony as Sherry, my parents, Tess, Cy and Kat looked on along with Wade’s clan. It was a wonderful day and we congratulate both of them.
This is the second of these weddings we have performed this year. Earlier, Elsie Reyes, another missionary to India from Lighthouse was wed to Todd Cook. They now live in Monterey, California. God is faithful to his dedicated workers despite the circumstances.
On Our Furlough So Far by Sherry
This entire year has blurred by with so much responsibility and busyness… the first 5 months werespent setting up house in a new country where we could not speak the language…holding a conference in Cambodia….3 trips back to Manila…back to Atlanta for a missions festival and then to PA take care of my dad. CQ to a board meeting in NZ etc…then we did have our month of rest in June, PTL! then to America for Andrew’s wedding…2 days later to our Jamaica church for their 25th…back to Cleveland to get girls registered to school and on shopping for school 3 days later to South Africa for CQ to teach every day for 8 days (i with a broken foot) then back to my folks for 3 weeks of caring for my dad then to Israel and Istanbul then back and on the road every weekend visiting churches not to mention keeping house and kids and all the activities involved in that…then to PA again for 2 weeks of caring for my dad in Oct…..and every weekend we were doing road trips to raise funds…..
