Durand and Ruth Robinson are missionaries with GEM. We met Durand two years ago on our visit to Dublin. He oversees a ministry called Creative Works that is in the business of helping fellowships in Europe think creatively in their approaches to ministry. Ruth is I guess what you would call GEM's current affairs expert. She writes monthly the "Ambassador's Briefing" and "In Context", which highlight what's happening in European society and brings it into perspective from a Christian viewpoint.
Durand and Ruth are in the States near the end of a year of Home Ministry Assignment (HMA), which is sometimes called "furlough". In short, this is time spent away from the mission field, reconnecting with friends and supporters and bolstering one's financial support. They were in New Orleans over the weekend and decided to visit us on their way back to Birmingham. So they showed up midday Monday and spent the night before driving on.
When we first met Durand, the thing that stuck out was how much he and I have in common. We now have discovered that Beth and Ruth have an awful lot in common as well.
We had a wonderful visit with the Robinsons and now can look forward to spending much more time with them once we move to Ireland, as they recently realized that God is calling them back to Ireland. It will be exciting to see how God uses us in ministry together over the ensuing years.
