A Summer of Rest and Remembering Who You Are in Christ

 A note on my sabbatical and how we’ll stay connected through weekly encouragement.

Dear Harvest Family,

Gratitude.  Overwhelming gratitude.  That is what I would like to express to you for the gift of this sabbatical.  Thank you so much for giving me and my family this time.

One thing I’ve found thus far on my sabbatical is that as I’ve stopped thinking about my work at Harvest, the people of Harvest have come to mind in new ways.  Now that I don’t have my normal to-do list of work-related tasks and responsibilities, there’s simply more space and mental energy left open, and much of that mental space has been filled with the faces and names and spiritual needs of our members.  It has been refreshing and sweet to remember you all in my prayers.  Perhaps this is a taste of what Paul experienced when he was separated from the churches that he planted (Eph 1:15-23; Phil 1:3-11).  

As I write this update, the Wilson family has been away for about two weeks, and I would like to share a quick report of what we’ve done.

On May 17th, we left town and flew to London, England.  After staying a few days with old friends, we took a brief family vacation to see Paris.  Then, we traveled by train to the Lake District in Northern England before returning to London to settle into our homebase for June and July.  We’ve enjoyed sweet time with friends and their children, many tasty pastries, church together as a family, and some beautiful hikes and sights.  Below are some pictures of our adventures.

These first two weeks of the sabbatical have been adventurous and geared toward making memories and taking our minds off work.  Now we’ll be slowing things down, resting, and enjoying the simple pleasures of life together.  These next two months will truly be an extended sabbath for us.

There’s one more exciting update to share about something that has been in the works for quite some time:  if you have any interest in traveling to Greece for a ‘Journeys of Paul’ tour next summer, please save the date for May 27-June 6, 2027.  We’ll be taking a group from Harvest and retracing the footsteps of Paul in Acts.  More details about pricing, registration, and the itinerary will be available in the early Fall, but I wanted to communicate the dates of the trip as soon as possible.   

I suppose that’s all the updates for now.  Truly we are so thankful.  We’ll send another update in a few weeks!

In Christ,
Ben Wilson