More than Friends

Curtis, Sandra and Hayward Burton

One of the great things about the Christmas season is getting together with old friends and that is what we did last Sunday just before Christmas. We invited the Burtons over to share a traditional (for our family) pre-Christmas dinner of lamb. Hayward is an elder at the Livonia church and has been for over thirty years. He was also the elder over missions most of the time I was in Kenya and he and Sandra visited us several times over the years. They have a big house and everytime we came back on furlough we stayed at the Burtons. Our kids looked at the Burton's house as our home in America and still have many fond memories of our staying there.

Hayward and Sandra were more than friends to Diane and me, they were often sources of wisdom and advice when we faced various challenges in Kenya. They were our advocates at the Livonia church and were staunch supporters of missions. One summer while we were on furlough they came and took a course at the ACU Summer Seminar in Missions with us. It is hard to describe how much they mean to Diane and me and our life and ministry with and in the Livonia church but we are very thankful to the Father for their love, support and influence in our lives. Every missionary ought to have someone like them here in the States and yet so many that I knew didn't and their lives were harder as a result. It is great to have friends, it is even better to have friends in the Lord like the Burtons.