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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.

Anticipation

Mike Broadhurst

Each morning Yvonne and I wake up to share in a morning devotional.  Today we found ourselves in 2 Corinthians 5.  The chapter starts off by talking about metaphorical "houses."  That is, that our earthly bodies are something of a temporary dwelling and that our real home is awaiting us heavenward. Since we are real estate agents about to embark on a call to full-time missionary work, it's easy to relate to this scripture.

If you've gone through the home-buying process recently, maybe you can relate, too.  Note what it says in verse 5: 

“Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.”
— King James Bible
“He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.”
— English Standard Version

The Greek word that gets translated as  "earnest" and "guarantee" represents money which when purchasing is given as a pledge or down-payment in expectation that the full amount will subsequently be paid.  

If you've purchased a home lately you can easily identify with this concept.  You've put up an earnest money deposit and you're living in a rented home, or maybe a house in a different community. Your new home beckons and with great anticipation you can only imagine how much better things will be in the new crib.  

The wait can be both tantalizing and, if you're trying to get a mortgage, agonizing. Yet you press on because of this innate expectation, knowing that in the end it will be worth it all. 

Yvonne and I can easily relate to this excitement as we put our careers on hold and enter into full-time ministry with the Lord.  For the past eight months we've been preparing and, trust me, it has not been easy, but nothing could keep us from this day.  

Truly, truly we say to you, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon (us), because the Lord has anointed (us) to bring good news to the poor; he has sent (us) to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound."  Isaiah 61:1.

Indeed, we look forward to a day when our earthly homes will be replaced by a heavenly dwelling, but for now we are endowed with a gift which compels us to press forward.  After all, has not the Lord proclaimed, "...repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

We invite you to follow us in our journey.  Please pray for us.  And, if you are so led, share in our ministry at the donations page of our web-site. 

 

 

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