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Our Blog

SUFFERING

     Thousands of miles and a whole continent in between are two women.  They don't know each other, nor will they while on this earth.  Yvonne and I know them both.  Both of them are suffering.

     Several weeks ago Yvonne was coming home after visiting a friend when she came upon Bernadette.  Wrapped in little more than rags, Bernadette was laying outside the doors of local clothing and jewelry stores, barely conscious.

     Though we did not know her name at that time, we've seen Bernadette before along with countless other beggars that roam our neighborhood.  We had never seen her in this condition.  

     Her lips were white, her eyes yellow and her hair speckled with grit from the street.  She sat in a puddle of air conditioning condensation and her own urine.  Without help she couldn't sit up, let alone stand up.  

     Someone nearby had given her a cup of water and a morsel of food, but she was too weak to lift her hand to put them to her mouth.  Two young women had stopped to comfort her, but really did not know what to do.  Mostly, people either just walked by or stood and stared.

     With the help of our translator, Gerand, we were able to extract enough information to know that if we didn't help her she was going to die.  The three of us were eventually able to lift Bernadette into a tuc tuc and transport her to the local hospital.

     Within a day she had regained much of her strength.  Within two days she was able to walk to a bathroom (without her cane) and bathe.  A week later she was able to leave the hospital.

     The curious thing about Bernadette is that she has family not far away.  They have enough to provide their sister food and shelter, but Bernadette prefers wandering the streets and begging.  We have seen her several times in the last week, right where she has been before.

     While it is apparent that Bernadette, who is 60 years old, suffers from some form of dimensia, it is also apparent that she has enough awareness to know she has a place where she could live in a semblance of dignity.  She prefers indignity.  Her family is well aware of her condition, but is unwilling to fight through Bernadette's obstinance to help.

     Back in the states, there is another who is suffering.  She did not grow up in squalor, but in middle class America.  As a young girl she contracted polio.  Now as a 74-year-old woman she is battling cancer.

     What we know about Jeannine is that she is a fighter.  She fought through polio and raised a family without the help of an absentee husband.  She persevered through adversity and was able to provide.  The ultimate fruits of her labor are two children of immense character.  

     Her son and daughter are the picture of what any parent's heart would desire; both accomplished and both with healthy families of their own.  Most importantly, they love their mother deeply.

     When we heard of Jeannine's challenge Yvonne and I really didn't know how to respond.  You see, Jeannine is a friend of ours.  We have shared Christmas and Thanksgiving together, but we did not know how to share in her suffering.  So, we prayed.

     Just recently we exchanged e-mails, and Jeannine said this: "I believe the only way I'll succeed in winning this challenge is with God's help."

     What I see from a distance is the success of Jeannine's suffering.  She has already won.  The rewards are her children and grandchildren, who are now at her side with love and compassion.  In return, Jeannine has persevered with courage and grace.

     No matter how pragmatic or accurate a doctor's prognosis, where there is God there is always hope.  And where there is hope there is love.  The Bible says, "...God is love...Now there abides these three; faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love."

     You see, the difference between Bernadette and Jeannine is love.  Bernadette's family is ambivalent when it comes to her suffering.  There is defeat and separation.  There is no desire to ensure the one who is suffering any sort of comfort and in exchange they receive no comfort.

     On the other hand, Jeannine's family is tied together in love.  They are bound by compassion and mercy.  I suspect that though they might not even recognize it, that their hearts are set on the prospects of justice prevailing - that ultimately their hearts are united in eternity.

    So, one family is divided, the other united.  One is forlorn, the other hopeful. One woman suffers in bitterness, the other in love.

    We are reminded of a Savior, who's birth we are about to celebrate.  He lived, He suffered and He died...for us.  Then He was resurrected...for us.  

     Yvonne and I pray that you would know this love this Christmas.  That it would resurrect purpose in your life.  And once you know it, share it with someone who is suffering.  It is the greatest gift we could possibly give.

Extraordinary

Mike Broadhurst

     One of the most extraordinary places that Yvonne and I have been privileged to visit in our first few months away from home is not the majestic mountains of Zululand, nor the roaring Indian Ocean just steps from our current place of residence.  It's not a wild life refuge where we stood side-by-side with two elephants and I'm sure it won't be a lemur retreat we plan on staying at in the coming weeks.

     No, the most extraordinary place we have visited is down a narrow one-way street in Durban, South Africa.  It is hidden between two bustling thoroughfares - an older, well-used commercial building where something beautiful is taking place (see our video diary).

     Rod and Gloria Degee operate a facility at 16 Mona Road called the Umgeni Community Empowerment Center.  It is here that hundreds of people have come to know the power of a loving God.  Yvonne and I visited this place in late August. 

     On the Sunday we went to worship there the congregation was bright, cheerful, enthusiastic and hospitable.  They welcomed Yvonne and me with open arms.  We would find out later that every person, with the exception of Rod, Gloria and the children present, was someone whom had been transformed from prostitution, drug addiction or homelessness.

     It was the place Yvonne and I dreamed could be possible in Savannah when we ministered on the streets there for nine years.

     Like Yvonne and me, Rod and Gloria are not spring chickens.  Like us, they left a comfortable suburban lifestyle to serve the Lord in the most humbling of environments.   And like Yvonne and me, their ministry depends on the loving support from believers like you.  

     Unlike Yvonne and me, their ministry has taken on dimensions superior to anything we ever endeavored to accomplish.

     Aside from being involved in a number of life-saving outreaches, UCEC operates two incredible facilities apart from the center on Mona Road.  One is a refuge for prostitutes and abused children; the other a safe harbor for men trying to escape the clutches of alcohol and drugs.  Let me repeat, these facilities are not funded by government agencies.  They are funded by private, charitable donations.

     Yvonne and I were honored when Rod and Gloria invited us to see the home where they take in prostitutes and nurture them back to humanity.  It is a home in a very nice section of Durban, surrounded by garden terraces where residents can plant flowers and vegetables.  When we were there they had the ability to house over 20 women at one time.

     One of the residents was a 5-year-old boy.  Earlier that morning, the pastor asked for testimonies and this tyke bounced gleefully to the front of the congregation proclaiming, "I am thankful because my mommy has gotten me into a school."  A little over a year ago "mommy" was imprisoned by heroin addiction, so desperate that she sold her body to strangers for a moment's relief.

     Another woman sat at the dining room table eating a bowl of cereal.  She was in the third day of the arduous task of breaking free from the same shackles.

     The Lord's redemptive power can be seen in the pictures pasted on Rod and Gloria's office walls.  Some were the same faces that greeted us at the worship center that Sunday morning.  

     Rod and Gloria live not far from the office in a humble two-bedroom apartment.  They drive a late-model Toyota, provided to them by their children.  They once drove a Mercedes Benz.  The world would say Rod and Gloria are of modest means, but I assess they are anything but modest.  They are adorned with wealth that I imagine most people in Durban don't even know exists.

     If their story intrigues you, visit their site www.ucec.org.za and check out what they do.  They are always in great financial need, so if you are so moved would you consider making a donation(s) to this Christ-centered ministry?

     Yvonne and I personally attest to their faithfulness and courage!

 

 

 

 

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