September was ovarian cancer awareness month. I missed it. But losing a beloved sister to a cruel disease means that every month Im aware that Terry isnt here. ....and then I remember why. Thomas Duncans family is not grieving alone. To stand helplessly by while a disease takes a loved ones life means you are never untouched by sorrow again. When I heard the news this morning, my reaction was just like yours. NO. Dread....deep sorrow....a catch in the throat...swirling questions... what now? for those left behind. My father was the youngest of 3 boys born to deaf parents. This was normal for him, and visiting my grandparents as a little kid, it was normal for me. They were 2 of the happiest people Ive ever known. Despite the communication barrier, Ive never seen anyone with a wider smile....(Granma) or more mischievious eyes (Granpa) They loved us. And we loved them for that! My Dad and his brothers inherited their parents sunny dispositions and infectious laughs. As I got older, I loved watching people meet my Dad because to meet him, was to like him. He was comfortable in his skin before it was trendy, and he genuinely liked others. 2 weeks ago, waiting in the eye doctors, I noticed a deaf mother with her 4 yr old hearing daughter. In vain, I tried to catch her eye, to use my still-remembered hand alphabet, to ask her some friendly questions. Never happened. I realized she avoided meeting eyes, to avoid seeing stares. I didnt ask to have deaf grandparents. I was just so glad I did. It put me at ease in a world I would otherwise not have known. When my grandfather died, my grandmother married deaf Vernon Butterbaugh. Vern was 66 tall and had a kind smile. When he died, she married deaf Simon Himmelschein. Simon was 48 short and laughed all the time. We loved all my grandmothers husbands! :) Several years later, Simon was hospitalized (they dont tell kids anything) We went to see him and he made us all laugh. They brought him lunch and he ate every bite. He belched quietly, and then took a nap that continues to this day. That is how family history is written! When the cameras today were showing the home and family of Thomas Duncan, in Liberia, the truth shone out that God chooses our inheritance for us. He sets the lonely in families.....and draws the boundary lines in pleasant places. Thomas niece will grow up in Liberia, and if God wills, live through this Ebola nightmare. It will become family history for her. She will not know anything else. Reconnecting with Ghanaian friends here reminds me of the privilege it is to feel at home in another culture. My friend Josephine came to see me today. She traveled with John and I as part of our team for 7 years. She and I share the same birthday, and she is truly my sister! She has a great laugh...and well, I come from a long line of great laughers! 6 years ago, she became aware of the hardships of children growing up in a poor fishing village. She began to go once a week, take them snacks, tell them stories about Jesus, and share His love. She wanted to take them to church but realized they had no shoes. Kind Americans began donating to Josies Kids. Shoes, clothes, books, toys, Bibles, and stuffed animals began to fill our suitcases when we traveled... the children came to church, loved it, and invited their parents. Today, because I love to hear her stories, I asked her.... So, Josie...how many kids are coming to church with you now? Hmmmm...with the mothers, and now 2 of the daddies...about 150. We were stunned. Did she say...150?? Yes, she did. From teaching a handful of barefoot illiterates, now 150 men, women, and children have been baptized, attend church, and the children attend school. We can be so overwhelmed with the worlds tragedies. Numbers are numbing. 5 minutes of the news today would confirm that. But God reminds us that Jesus didnt come to change the world. He came to build a kingdom within it. From every nation, tribe, language, and family....He is calling people to Himself, one at a time. Not many of you were wise....not many were influential...not many were of noble birth. He chose the lowly things of the world so that no one may boast before him. Once we are in His family, we receive a promise that can see us all the way through to the end...Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble, or hardship, or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No..in ALL these things we are more than conquerors, through him who loved us. We have His Word on that.
Posted on: Thu, 09 Oct 2014 01:10:34 +0000
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