We never met him in person, never made it out to California to visit him, and yet, he had an incredible impact on our lives and our ministry here at RVA. His name is Bill Wood, and he and his wife Lavelle have been and continue to be a tremendous blessing to us. They knew and loved my mom from her days at college in California, and when Sam and I started our journey back to Kenya, they were some of our biggest cheerleaders. They wrote us letters, sent Christmas cards, supported us financially, remembered our anniversaries, championed us to their church, called to encourage us, and prayed and prayed and prayed. It was always a joy to receive a card in the mail and recognize their address – we don’t get much snail mail here at RVA, and it’s such a sweet reminder that we’re not forgotten, that someone is thinking of us and loves us.
And love us they did – though we never met face to face, they have cheered us on, encouraged us, supported us, and prayed for us every year that we have been on staff at RVA.
A few weeks ago, Bill went Home to be with Jesus. It is such a bittersweet thought! I am overjoyed that he is healed and whole, where he has yearned to be for so long, and not a little jealous – let’s be honest: I would love to be with Jesus! It’s a time of rejoicing, but also of sorrow – it’s hard to be left behind. For his loved ones, figuring out what life looks like without him, for his community, for those of us who loved him from afar – for everyone who knows both him and the God he loves, because we long to be with them.
It is amazing to me how broad of a reach and how deep of an impact one person can have on people he’s never met. Like a stone thrown in a pond, Bill’s influence has rippled out through generations – in my mom’s life and ministry, in our lives and ministry, into the lives and hearts of people around the world because of his love, his generosity, and his prayers.
I’m really looking forward to the day when I get to introduce our RVA kids to Bill in Heaven as a tangible example of the remarkable influence his life has had. How amazing will it be to see the influence of his prayers and generosity on the lives of the next generation, scattered around the globe, reaching the lost in their corner of the world with the love of Jesus? I’m sure Bill – and Jesus – will smile at his amazing legacy.
This song has been playing recently on my playlist (I’ve always loved Andrew Peterson!), and it seems so appropriate for this post – full of bittersweet aching because we are not Home yet, but mingled with an unshakeable hope and the precious promise of an Eternity together rejoicing in all that He has done for us…
Lyrics
Maybe Next Year
I made my way to the western wall, as the sun went down, I could hear them call for you
And the words I heard in the ancient song were the same as the ones I’ve sung so long to you
And when I touched the wall, the veil, it never felt so thin
Cause you are the Rock and the Cornerstone, You are the temple of flesh and bone
And you are the door and the way back home again
To that city that we long for, that we feel so far away
Where the dawn will drive away our tears
And we’ll meet in the New Jerusalem someday
Maybe next year
Maybe next year
At the western wall I bowed my head, I knew that every word I read was true
As the prophet spoke from another age, and the song rose up from the sacred page to You
And I never felt so near, I never felt so far away
But You tore the curtain and shook the ground, the saints woke up and they walked around
And resurrection came to town that day
Like in that city that we long for, that we feel so far away
Where the dawn will drive away our tears
And we’ll meet in the New Jerusalem someday
Maybe next year
This is the place where Abraham cut lose the boy and he killed the ram instead
And this is the place where Jesus said, you could tear down the temple and he’d raise it from the dead
And, You never felt so real, I never felt so close to You
So I’ll weep and dance at the western wall and sing at the way you’re making all things new
Cause the kingdom’s here, but I know the Kingdom’s moving in
So maybe I’ll meet you here next year
In the New Jerusalem, in the New Jerusalem…
In that city that we long for, that we feel so far away
Where the dawn will drive away our tears
And we’ll meet in the New Jerusalem someday
Maybe next year
Maybe next year
Next year in the New Jerusalem
Next year in the New Jerusalem
Next year, next year
Next year in the New Jerusalem
Next year, next year
Next year in the New Jerusalem
Next year, next year