I love it when the kids try to guess what’s in each box under the tree. It’s hard, of course, when all the gifts are wrapped with equal beauty. But once everything is unwrapped and the dust clears, it becomes obvious which gifts are the favorites. A child will spend the rest of the morning and often day and week delighting in that favorite gift. When I think back on the month of December, I rejoice in all the “gifts” we offered to our Lord Jesus – all of the ministry and worship we did for Him! But I wonder, what stands out in God’s heart from this past holiday season? What is He most delighting in? What is He still holding most in His heart after the dust of the season clears? And I can’t help but think back to a moment we shared in together at the end of November. I had received word that Benjamin and Jane Safori would be leaving for Ghana, their home country, and that the coming Sunday would be their last at Forcey. I did not have the privilege of knowing Ben and Jane nearly as well as many in our Forcey family, but I was so glad for the opportunity to meet with them early that Sunday morning and to hear their story. Having journeyed with Forcey in ministry for the last eleven years, they were convinced God was calling them back to Ghana. I was so broken to hear of their burden for the youth of their region, and so blessed to hear of their vision to help churches reach the youth through music ministry. They had already purchased and sent many instruments ahead of them to Ghana in order to begin this ministry. We were honored to pray for them that Sunday and to send them off with our full blessing as a church. Here was a couple from Ghana, discipled in our ministry, and sent back to Ghana. A similar thing happens in the New Testament when Aquila and Priscilla are discipled by Paul in Corinth and Ephesus but end up hosting a church in their home region of Rome. And I wonder how much the Lord delights in this precious gift – the gift of equipping and sending His people to strategic places around the world. And I wonder how we can aim more for these kinds of movements and moments in our church. And I wonder what difference it could make around the world and here in our own region. It is truly a great commission – to go and make disciples of all nations. And few churches are positioned as well as Forcey to lead in that mission! And I look forward to God reproducing more of the Safori Story in and through us!