Yesterday I said say goodbye to a dear friend. Phil Waters is the pastor of Grace Baptist Church my home church in Australia. And at 3:30 yesterday afternoon he left for a year long furlough in the United States. There was a huge crowd of people from different churches who met yesterday to see him off.
Phil Waters is a mentor to me along with dozens of other people in Melbourne. But more importantly he is a true friend to all of us. We meet a lot of people in our lives. And a small number of those people become our friends. But then there will be a few people who can be viewed as best friends.
Those are the friends who will stand by your side when everyone else has left. That person will show genuine interest in how you are doing. They will always be there for advice and counsel. And that friend can be trusted with things that you would not tell anyone else.
Pastor Phil is more than just my pastor, he is my friend. For almost three months he worked to get a permanent residency visa for me. He personally answered dozens of questions that I had about the visa situation. When my visa application was declined he personally called me in America to share the news. He told me at least six times during that conversation that the visa rejection was not my fault.
When I came through customs at Melbourne International Airport on January 8 he was there to meet me. In the first months of ministry he would always ask me how I was doing. When I said fine, he would look me dead in the eyes and ask if I was sure. At the darkest moment of my ministry he was there with me giving comfort and wisdom. When I was struggling with issues on the field I shared them with him over a cup of coffee.
On the day of Australia’s Grand Final (Australian Super Bowl) I watched it at his house. I have had Sunday afternoon dinner at this house a number of times. He always goes out of his way to encourage me when I see him. And makes sure I know that he loves me. The amazing thing is that I am not the only person he has this kind of relationship with. He is a true friend to countless people in the area churches.
As I look at Pastor Phil I see the kind of man I would like to become. He has a ministry that is not based upon flashy gimmicks or the latest church growth philosophy. Instead it is build upon the close relationships he has with others. The night I came to Australia I greeted him as “Pastor Waters”. He responded, “John it is just Phil here.” In the last nine months he has gone from being Pastor Waters spiritual leader, to Phil good friend.
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Hello John. Pastor Phil is one of the missionaries that we support. In fact, he'll be visiting with our church in just a few hours (www.lrbc.org). This will be the first time in about seven years that we've been visited by Pastor Phil. I've had his prayer card in my truck for the last seven years and pray for him, Lenna and the kids often. I know that you miss him desperately but please know that it's a real encouragement to our congregation to have them visiting with us. We'll take good care of him. In Christ, David.
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