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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.

Love

Mike Broadhurst

We are back in the USA.

After months of praying, pondering and planning we have returned to our homeland and Yvonne and I would like to attempt to tell you what it’s like to be back after three-and-half years in Africa.

Foremost, the transition of returning is as every bit as challenging as it was in leaving.

Our journey actually started 18 years ago when our pastor challenged us with this question, “Who is your god?”

You see, Yvonne and I had driven Porsches and BMWs; lived in big houses; travelled to idyllic islands; and lived the proverbial American dream. Yet we both knew and felt something was missing.

On the way home from church that day we both recognized and acknowledged that there had to be something more. We decided together that day that we would do more than just go to church on Sundays. We committed our lives to seeking Jesus Christ.

To be honest, the immediate consequences were not great. Family members were skeptical, maybe even a little bit scared. Regrettably, we lost friends. I slowly walked away from golf - the very thing that brought me my greatest satisfaction. It was my god.


In June of 2015 we entered a month-long training program intended to prepare us for the cultural shock of living in countries adrift in abject poverty. In Madagascar we witnessed some horrific living conditions and tragic circumstances, but we were never shaken to the point of despair. If anything, our resolve to become involved was strengthened even more.


It is odd, but there is a paradox that exists within the confines of poverty and suffering that has a beauty hard to recognize in wealth. The truth is that when people are stripped of external trappings, there is a greater potential for faith, whereby faith ultimately gives birth to joy.


Don't misunderstand, we are not suggesting that third-world living conditions are more virtuous than what is available to us in the West. However, there is a striking difference between cultures of plenty as opposed to those of want. By default when you take away the elements of wealth, people are forced to be more reliant on one another. 

Additionally, in poverty there is no veil sufficient to mask the longing to love and to be loved. On the other hand, it does seem that we unwittingly rely on wealth to project a sense of security and success that underneath it all never does satisfy.


What Yvonne and I see that is common to all man is the desire to be loved and respected. It doesn’t seem to us that any amount of money or accomplishments can supplant the two. After all, what greater reward is there as a parent than to have our children thrive to be in relationship with us, or as a spouse to be in agreement and harmony with our husband or wife? 

And if that is good for our families, then why not desire the same for our neighbors and countries around the world?

Upon arrival back in the States last week a friend of ours said this, “It must be really hard to live in such poverty.” My immediate thought was, “Living in wealth is actually much harder.”

Yvonne puts it this way, “One way is simple and the other is complicated.”

Madagascar afforded us the opportunity to hone a type of simple contentment that goes well beyond anything we were ever able to purchase back in the USA. Now that we are back we intend to export that asset and spread it around our hometown.

Yvonne and I continue to be mission oriented. We have a vision for Madagascar that has brought us back to South Carolina. We are ready and expectant. We are eager to re-establish our real estate careers with the purpose to do more; not for us, but for our loved ones half a world away. If God so wills, then perhaps for an entire nation.

Yes, we have big dreams, but the Word says, “With God all things are possible.”

These are exciting times. We continually look to be in His will and pray that all we put our hand to will prosper according to His kingdom.

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