"WELL DONE, WELL DONE"
The following is a missionary tribute to my father who served unselfishly with us as a steadfast and quiet voice cheering us on for over 30 years as we served on the mission field. An American farm boy and farmer, a Korean war veteran who fought on the front lines as a Tank Platoon Sergeant of the 73rd Heavy Tank Battalion, a successful salesman for 60 years, a father of three boys, a loving husband for 69 years, and a missionary dad who once told his doctor, "I´m too busy for this operation, I have missionary work to do." Needless to say, he missed his last trip to Mexico and followed his doctor´s orders. That was my dad, Floyd W. S. DeBolt, who passed away at the age of 93, on January 10, 2022. He loved living the country life, he served his country with honor and we never missed a Sunday going to church including Sunday School, no matter how bad the winters would get. He proudly served as a church trustee and church deacon at the Markle Church of Christ, Markle, Indiana. The small 40 acre farm that he loved to till and harvest was a place for all our city cousins to spend their summers helping us walk and hoe the fields, bale straw and bale hay. His success as a salesman was well known as he not only sold furniture, he sold with confidence the product he was selling and with every sale he made a friend. He once took his 3 speed on the column, 1963 Chevy pickup to Joplin, Missouri. He loaded up his truck to take Dick and Eunice and their 3 little boys so Dick could study at Ozark Bible College. Twenty four years later, he would load up his truck once again and help his middle son and their family of three little girls as they began their missionary journey at Cincinnati Bible College and later to Mexico. He never complained, never said when ya coming home. There were many a tear shed each time we left to go back to serve. We knew he was proud but we also knew down deep inside he was hurting as we boarded each flight. He taught us to live with no regrets and that we´ve done as we said our final goodbye that early January morning in his home at River Terrace. Thank you dad for teaching life´s most basic skills on that small plot of ground near Zanesville, Indiana. For serving with honor and dignity your country during war times. For making each one of your boys work as you did at Sears Roebuck and Co., by saying, I want more for you but at least you will have learned how I provided for our family". You and mom were a team for over 69 years and you both taught us the joy of giving to missionaries that visited our church each year. You would say, "take the quarter you earn each week and give it back to God." "Well, done, well done My good and faithful one Welcome to the place where you belong Well done, well done My beloved child" (words from the song, Well Done, by the Afters) He recieved full military honors on January 14, 2022. An American flag was draped over his casket, he recieved an honorable 21 gun salute for his military service, Army taps were played in his honor and his great grandson, Alexander David Lobo, who is now serving in the military, helped fold the American flag that covered his great grandfathers casket, Honor where honor is due. I truly believe that missionary parents sacrifice much more than their missionary children. They sacrifice time not spent with their children, grandchildren, holidays with empty chairs at the table and special family gatherings throughout the year. They sacrifice their time making sure their children are not forgotten by the churches that support them. They sacrifice their personal income. Dozens if not hundreds of letters written each year always sent with love. Countless stamps and mailings for the ministry are a labor of love not a burden. The list is nearly endless in the love and sacrifice they give. I´ll close with a few lines from a song called, Nothing to prove by Phillips, Craig and Dean "So many things I learned from you ´Bout life and love and play But I learned more by how you lived Than what I heard you say Saying live with no excuses Live with no regrets Laugh a lot and leave this life With nothing left unsaid Make this world a better place Don´t be afraid to cry When it´s finally time to say goodbye There´s nothing´ to prove, nothing´ to lose Nothing´ to hide I only wanna live my life Half as well as you To leave behind what I recieve Is all I wanna do" Thank you dad for giving your very best to the Lord, to your family, to your country, to your church and to the many who you never met but were touched by your love and generosity. I´m sure there were many to greet you that early January morning and many more will some day say, "Thank you for giving to the Lord, I am a life that was saved." (words from the song, Thank You, by Ray Boltz) "WELL DONE, WELL DONE MY GOOD AND FAITHFUL ONE WELCOME TO THE PLACE WHERE YOU BELONG WELL, DONE, WELL DONE MY BELOVED CHILD" Emanuel Mexico Mission David and Sheri DeBolt - Directors Jose Manuel Gonzalez - Field Director Greetings from GoCorps! We recently had our first in-person staff gathering for a time of spiritual retreat and to begin planning for the year ahead. We were so grateful to have no issues with travel and no COVID complications as our 9 staff and a few spouses flew in to Minnesota from Alabama, Texas, Virginia, Michigan and Indiana. It was tons of fun to be together, play games, walk on a lake and experience Minnesota in the wintertime together! Needless to say, we were very grateful for a big fireplace in the cabin where we gathered! Sanctification and Glory The theme for our time together was ‘Prepared in Advance for Great Things.’ We were blessed to have one of our Goer alum be our special speaker and share a series of devotionals on this topic. The key lesson that he taught was that whenever God does great things in our world and through his followers, and we can always find these fruits: his people are sanctified and God is glorified. As we enter into 2022, we are expecting God to do great things in calling this generation to see a different way and to give themselves with wholehearted abandon to his purposes. And it’s a great reminder that God wants to be sanctifying us as he’s using us. Check out this fun video. One of our staff, Melody, is also a talented dancer and dance instructor, and she had a vision to make a video of the staff team singing one of our favorite worship songs with her worshipping through dance. Of course, it was in Minnesota in January, so the setting of the dancing is pretty epic! Year-End Giving Praise We were excited to have a faithful donor to GoCorps give a special challenge grant to encourage others to give generously at year end. And we are equally excited to report that your giving helped us surpass the goal and end up with $28,000+ given for year end. That means we met the match threshold and will receive the $22,000 challenge match. This puts us in a strong position as we launch our GoCorps 100 initiative next month. Stay tuned! Praise God and Pray with Us
What’s Ahead!
Together for God's Global Work, Paul Van Der Werf President and CEO Dear Prayer Warriors,
We wish you nothing but health and happiness as we enter into the month of February! Please continue to pray for the list below as well as the couple specific requests. You can view the February Prayer Calendar HERE.
Please pray for April as she was diagnosed with breast cancer in April and is still in treatment. Pray for the next stages in my treatment plan, restored health, and for her family as well. Fields Family Please pray for the Fields family as they just lost their dear HopeKid, Cary Lynn. Please pray for healing for the whole family and specifically for her brother, Marvin, who misses his sister and is having challenges. With Hope, Ariel “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 -- Ariel Lindahl, Family and Community Manager HopeKids Minnesota | "Restoring Hope. Transforming Lives." P.O. Box 44712 | Eden Prairie, MN 55344 | 612.836.8783 ariel@hopekids.org | www.hopekids.org
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