Ministering Together as a Couple - Rich and Kathy Smith
I have asked Richard Smith who ministers with his wife as a layman with GCI in Kenya and Cameroon to write this weeks blog on "Ministering Together as a Couple" Kathy and I have been married 29 years, nearly half my life. Marriage has been a joy and a pleasure much more often than not. One of the mysteries of marriage is the oneness that God designed to occur between a man and a woman—not simply oneness in body, but in soul and spirit. The Bible teaches the theme of oneness that exists between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and also between Christ and His Church and between believers. In John 17 Jesus prayed to the Father about His disciples, “…that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us…that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one…” As believers in our Lord, both Kathy and I are one by virtue of being one in Christ, by His Holy Spirit, as well as being one in marriage. One of the evidences of this oneness that has grown and continues to grow between Kathy and me is to be together and to do things together, in harmony and with a common purpose. Our hearts and minds become knit in such a way that it touches every area of our lives. One of the areas God had worked in my heart as a husband was to be the spiritual leader in our marriage and family. That included seeking ways in which we could minister as a couple. And there are opportunities to do that in our local church. When I was invited in 2007 to be part of a team of men to minister with GCI in Kenya on a short-term mission, it was not surprising that I missed Kathy. But I had a deep desire for God to use us as a couple on such a mission. I knew her gifting and wisdom would be a blessing to the women. I was not sure it was on her heart. When another opportunity came in 2011 to go with GCI to Cameroon on a similar mission, I prayed and hoped Kathy would be led to go. I was delighted that not only Kathy, but my two grown children chose to go on that trip. The four of us repeated the trip in 2012. It is difficult to describe the deep joy of having my closest friend and life companion join me in such a venture of faith and service to Christ. The preparation for going and the laboring together has bonded us even deeper as one. Such a trip takes a lot of planning, which is one of Kathy’s strengths. There is the potential for stress and conflict. We both grew in our ability to love and serve one another. I rejoiced to see how Kathy has been used by God in the lives of the women in Cameroon. We were both more effective as the people saw us working together as one team, especially when addressing issues of marriage and family. I am now looking forward with thanksgiving to our return to Cameroon in August of this year. “Two are better than one, for they have a good return for their work…” Eccl 4:9
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