Category Archives: Relationships

A Time to Rest – Bryan’s medical update

The doctor appointment on Tuesday went quite sideways to expectation. It’s a bit like a “perfect storm” where we came to the top of the wave thinking we might just make it over the crest, only to have our hopes dashed by yet another crushing wave. Such has been this long journey through cancer.

The bottom line is, because fusarium never actually goes away completely, it rules out the possibility of a second transplant, my only small medical hope for a potential cure. In light of my recent test results the prospects of using hypomethylating agents (“soft chemo”) to hold the leukemia at bay makes the doctor “terrified” for the potential “disastrous” effects it could have on my health. In my complex situation, with two terminal illnesses, there is only a slim chance the treatment would give us a little more time and a very large probability that they could actually shorten life because it would present an environment that is more susceptible to infections, including the existing fusarium which continues to persist after nearly 7 months. Each treatment yields ever diminishing prospects and ever-increasing risks. In light of this, the doctor suggests that we might consider enjoying the time that remains, without treatment. Having discussed this and prayed overnight and into today, we are at peace with this.

imageWe’re not giving up. We’re leaving it up to God.

We have persistently and repeatedly pushed against doors that would not budge. We’ve both endured the devastating effects that 3 1/2 years of “treatment” have wreaked on my body. Together we both have fought the good fight and run the hard race. Now, it seems to us, a time to rest and let God do what is best in the grand scheme of things. It’s been in his hands from the beginning and we’ve endeavored to honor him each step of the way, asking only for his perfect will to be done.

We have no real definitive timeline. It could be “weeks or months”. Or, God could still work a miracle. Thanks to those of you who have been praying and fasting to this effect.

Our intent is, as it has been all along, to celebrate the life God has given us, thankful for so very many blessings, and to live with the great purpose to which he has called us. Death is not defeat. For us, death is a graduation from this phase of life to the one in heaven that lasts forever in peace.

We intend to continue to live life fully with purpose and passion. We encourage you to do the same. Trust God. Ask for his very Spirit to teach, guide, comfort, and strengthen you, to follow Jesus daily. After all is accomplished and all is experienced, all that remains and all that counts, is faith, expressing itself through love. (Galatians 5:6)

Know how very much we appreciate your ongoing prayers and support. They are a treasure to us.
Love,
Bryan and Marcia

 

I love who I really am

Though some deny it, it really is easy to say those three little words that have such profound impact when spoken from your heart:

I love you.

(Or those OTHER three small words one spouse longs to hear from the other, “I was wrong.”)

We talk about loving our spouse and our children in the same context of loving pizza or chocolate or sports. Confusing, isn’t it? But hidden under this fabric of many loves there lies an unspoken, somewhat sinister love. . . the love that hinges on “if” or “as long as.”

I love my job – if it pays well (or provides recognition or…promotion).
I love my spouse – as long as they fulfill my needs.
I love my children – as long as they obey.
I love my friends – as long as they agree with me.
I love my life – as long as I have my health, financial security, family (the list goes on).
I love God – as long as he blesses my life.

When we hinge our happiness and sense of purpose and love on an “if” or “as long as,” we’re admitting to a love for something that is greater than what we profess.

You all know from my 3+ year battle, the road ahead for any patient with acute Leukemia is an extremely difficult one: physically, emotionally, psychologically, relationally, and spiritually. More things are given up than desired and yet some new wonderful things can be picked up in the process. There is always eternal hope for those who love the Lord. The encouragement, prayers, and love of family and friends makes all the difference.

Cancer has a way of stripping away the temporal things that we let become our identity. As I’ve said before, we don’t get to choose what suffering comes knocking at our door but we do get to choose how we answer it. Be it driving, a certain form of communicating, eating and enjoying certain foods, or dealing with pain and sorrow, we get to choose what/who defines who we are. And in the end, our response determines how much we love and trust God above all else.

Cancer is not who I am. It defines my circumstances but it doesn’t define me. It doesn’t define who God is or who I am in his sight. The same can be true for you. Whatever identity you’ve lost through an unexpected and painful turn in the road also provides the opportunity to discover your true identity – what never changes regardless of the difficulty you face. We can choose to see each problem as an opportunity to trust God and to seek his blessing found only on the road of sorrow, never on the fast lane in the highway of a busy and productive life. In losing the world and even the life we know, we gain Jesus.

Things or circumstances don’t have to define who you are. Not bad things. Not even good things. As we discipline ourselves to keep focused, our eyes on the goal, we stay on track, our course unshaken by the life tremors which threaten to knock us down.

It is only in discovering our true identity that we find real peace in life. It’s there we experience peace in the storm, joy in the sorrow, comfort amidst pain, a friend when you are lonely, hope in despair, light in the darkness, and grace – amazing grace – when you realize his grace and power is all you have and all you really need.

Despite the let downs and disappointments and feelings that I could be so much better, more effective and productive, I love who I really am – a redeemed and treasured child of God, heir to his kingdom, and seen without blemish because Jesus alone has covered all my blemishes with his grace.

“I love who I really am. My true and full identify is in my personal relationship with Jesus.”

Is that your pronouncement of faith and joy in light of even your darkest moments?

Do you love me? Is it really true?

Tevye, the colorful character from Fiddler on the Roof, leans over quietly and asks his wife, “Do you love me?” She screams in reply, “Do I WHAT?!” “Do you love me?” he asks again with genuine concern. She goes into an indignant tirade of how she bore his children, cooked his meals, washed his clothes, and so many other chores she’s done in 25 years. Acknowledging her many expressions of love, he gently repeated, “But do you love me?” Quietly she admitted, “I guess I do love you.” Teasingly, he replied, “Then I guess I love you too.” Together they sigh saying, “After 25 years. it’s nice to know.”

How do you know love is true? Is it by the repetition of those three little words, “I love you?” (Or perhaps those other three: “I was wrong!”) Or is it in the consistent demonstration of loving acts? We could say “both” and be closest to the truth. But neither words alone nor actions by themselves are the true test of live, are they? We can, and sometimes do, speak idle words and perform repeated acts of service more in response to duty than true love.

But somehow, our hearts are able to confirm what eyes have seen and lips have spoken. Here comes a time when the heart knows for sure what the mind has only acknowledged to be true.

“In sickness and in health” has a way of testing true love. Marcia and I have experienced this to be true through this long and unexpected journey brought cancer. In face of adversity, true love finds both gentleness and strength. It learns the value in f commitment and persevering and also humble surrender. Whatever we knew as star struck lovers 44 years ago has been positively confirmed to be true in a much deeper sense than we ever could have imagined.

The same is true about God’s Word which is his love letter to you and me. At some point we come to acknowledge that God IS God and his Word is inherently true. we know it in our minds, confirm it with our lips, and believe it in our heart. And yet there is a deeper sense of knowing God’s true love that comes only by experiencing it through difficult trials. I’ve commented before that I would t have chosen this journey through cancer, BUT I’ve discovered along its path blessings I would never have discovered on a more comfortable road. Whereas once I “knew” God’s live and Word to be true in my mind and heart, now I know it to be true through the experience of his grace, his power to persevere, the comfort of his promise and the real hope in his faithful promises. That he loves me – and you – is undeniably evidenced both in times of rejoicing and times of sorrow and pain. Even if I had none of this, the price his Son Jesus paid for the forgiveness of my sins was evidence enough of his great love. Our God is a good God. His banner over me is mercy and love.

But is the “flip side” also true? How should we reply when Jesus asks us what he asked his disciple Peter, “Do you love me?” Is it sufficient to go about dutiful good deeds like Tevye’s wife Golde? Or is it sufficient to say the words in prayer and song? Deep down we know true love is expressed not only by simple words or sacrificial deeds. It’s known by all that flows from a humble heart that gives a sacrifice of praise and a life yielded completely to him, no holds barred, no distractions.

He’s asking, “Do you really love me? Is it really true?” How will you respond today?

One door away from heaven

I’ve been thinking a lot about heaven in recent weeks, wondering what it will be like to step through the door from this life I know, to my new and forever life in heaven. Will I take one last look at this world I’ve enjoyed and then turn away to the welcoming arms of Jesus? Or will my eyes remain fixed on loved ones I’m pained to leave, bidding them to follow as I simply fall backward into the arms of my Lord and Savior?

What will it be like to walk through heaven’s door?

Of course, you realize there are also many doors between us and heaven’s gates. There is the door of realizing that there is a God, and we’re not him! There’s the door of realizing we need the saving grace of Jesus who paid the price for our sins. There’s the door of baptism, the public profession of our faith, not something hidden in the shadows of our life. There are doorways we cross over to learn patience, kindness, faithfulness, and other qualities we want to mark our lives. We walk through these doors once and continually evaluate the purpose and passions of our life as identified by that passage. Having passed through the door of salvation, how do I now live this “new life in Christ”? How is my life transformationally different because of this?!” After all, what is the point of passing through a door if I don’t intend to enjoy and participate in what’s on the other side?

There are doors of friendships that bring us closer to heaven. They open to reveal God’s grace and truth. In these relationships, we share life as it really is, without pretense. We encourage each other to seek the best, God’s best, and to live purposeful and rewarding lives as we wait for heaven. Chit-chat easily gives way to meaningful and cherished sharing of what’s most important to us. Who knows, the door of one friendship might be “One Door Away From Heaven.” Dean Koontz, author of the book by that name describes it like this:

“What will you find behind the door that is one door away from Heaven? If your heart is closed, then you will find behind that door nothing to light your way. But if your heart is open, you will find behind that door people, who, like you, are searching and you will find the right door together with them. None of use can ever save himself; we are the instruments of one another’s salvation, and only by the hope that we give to others do we lift ourselves out of the darkness into the light.”

I see it actually as God’s hand of grace and forgiveness that leads us out of the darkness, not our own doing. The gift of heaven comes only by faith in Jesus who offers it. But isn’t it also true that we all play a part in opening doors for those around us by our encouragement and daring to be real with them? Don’t these deepest of friendships open the door that is one door from heaven? I think it’s how God designed us to belong to each other as a community of caring people.

No doubt, we all have lots of speculation about what heaven will be like. While the bible doesn’t tell us everything, reading it reveals much about heaven that should appeal greatly to each of us. No more sorrow, no more pain. Sharing forever with the one who loves us most. Reuniting with loved ones who’ve gone before us. Beauty quite literally beyond our imagination – life as it was designed to be from the beginning.

More and more, I am discovering these truths from God’s Word bless my day in the most practical ways. Focusing my energies and passions on relationships that open doors to heaven keeps me from wasting my life on so much meaningless chit-chat and activity. I hope this for you too. Live with hearts open to the purpose and passion God speaks to you. Be intentional about the doors you open for others.

I see it differently now

In the Canadian Murdoch Mysteries, young detective Murdoch solves murder mysteries by using his keen interest in science and also relying on his devout faith in God. His success as an investigator almost always involves applying what he already knows to a situation that is new. For example, in one episode he needed a photograph of the victim right away but the only known photograph of the lady was in France. The fax machine had not yet been invented and it would take weeks to send the photo by boat. However, he knew that electronic communication was possible by converting a series of numbers into letters: 1=a, 2=b, etc. Looking at that in a different way, he realized those numbers could represent not just letters but also shades of gray. So by constructing a rubric where 1=white, 9=black, and the numbers in between representing the various shades, he had the photograph in France converted to a chart of numbers and had this sent electronically by wire. Once received in Toronto, the numbers were painstakingly conveyed back into the grayscale correspondents. The result was of course a facsimile of the original photograph.

Isn’t this how all inventions are given birth? A problem presents itself, like a deep chasm separating a person on one side from someone on the other side. Always seeing the expansive gap between them, the only solution to come together was to walk for miles, through great effort, to find a possible crossing. And so it always was this way – until someone looked at the problem differently and built a bridge to cross the gap.

I don’t know if you are particularly inventive or engineering-minded when it comes to creating new solutions to nagging problems. But don’t we all have the ability to look at a problem from a different angle, a new light, and build a bridge of our own to cross the gap from frustration and woe to victory and celebration? That’s exactly what happens when we encourage each other to see problems as opportunities, stumbling blocks as stepping-stones, and even a wide gap of understanding of disagreement as the opportunity to construct a bridge built with respect, compassion, forgiveness, humility, and genuine love.

Right now you see someone who hurts others with brazen words and actions. But looking differently at them, you see someone who is hurt themselves and needing someone to befriend them. You’re in a heated discussion where no consensus can be found and you just want to escape. Looking differently, you realize that HOW we make a decision is sometimes more important than the actual decision. You think of someone who disagrees vehemently with your political or spiritual views and quickly a wide gulf appears to prevent even a civil conversation from happening. Looking differently, you see your own views, firm as they may be, are not the only way of seeing things. Respecting the other person’s right to their own opinion changes how we see them.

That’s what God’s Word does. It shines light, the great symbol of truth and understanding and wisdom onto dark and problematic situations. God gives us the perspective we need to have hundreds of times a day in order to see our problems, our life, and others through his eyes.

Confounded by seeing the your problems always the same and never-changing? Read God’s Word and ask him to see things differently – though his eyes.

Going home

There was a time long ago, when we left our home in the USA, and set up our new home in Australia. I was offered a job to teach music grades 7-12 in a small town school located in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. They didn’t tell me until I arrived that I was the 6th music teacher in 6 years at this school. But through much perseverance I made my mark, elevating compulsory music education from being hated to being tolerated. One learns to accept what progress one can make. When six brass instruments surprisingly arrived by train from headquarters I, a woodwind guy, started a brass band. However badly we performed we could count on getting a “standing ovation” when we played “God Save the Queen.” Decades later I learned that little school band had grown in proficiency and toured Europe!

We lived in “Sherwood Cottage” in Burradoo, 3 miles from town. During school vacations we packed our Holden station wagon and hammer to keep the gear shift lever in place and we set off on grand adventures. From the tropics of Queensland to the chilly and rugged island of Tasmania; from the beaches at Botany Bay to the outback town of Broken Hill where we nursed orphaned kangaroo joeys, we experienced the “dinkum di” Aussie life. We explored opal and gold mining towns and enjoyed the diverse landscape of “the bush.” Despite the challenging work situation, we made wonderful lifelong friends and came to call the wonderful land of Oz our “home away from home.”

But at the end of my teaching contract and with our own little Aussie “Joey” in tow, we returned to our home in America. We enjoyed vacations in the Badlands and the Rockies but as much fun as we had, there was always a point where it was “time to go home.” There’s no place like home, that place where your is where your heart longs to be. It’s a place filled with celebrated love and shared burdens. When we went on mission to Bolivia, we had this strange and pervasive feeling that we had come “home to the place we’d never been before.” It’s where we belonged and where we long to return because of the people we met and how God was moving among us.

As much as we all cling to our own home sweet home, there is another place, more wonderful and exciting beyond imagination, that’s called our true home. If we think climbing volcanoes and feeding baby kangaroos is exciting, we’ll be blown away at how marvelous is this home where we’d never been before.

It’s open to all who realize how desperately they personally need God’s gift of eternal salvation and the transformational power for living right now with peace and joy and real hope. Heaven is our true home, the place of great everlasting blessing. And there’s a piece of “Heaven on earth” when we come quietly and humbly before the Lord our God and receive his blessing of grace and power for living a victorious life that rises above our darkest circumstances.

None of us know the time we have left in this earthly home. May God guide the time that remains. . . until we finally go to our forever home.

The other shoe

Most of us have encountered some difficulty that perplexes and challenges us to the point of frustration or deep sorrow. In times of persistent and relentless troubles we often ask, “Why?” Why has this sorrow knocked at my door? Why has this pain barged into my life? Why has this burden weighed upon me like a crushing boulder?

We ask “Why?” hoping that an answer will appear and calm our anxiety. It’s not just the big things like a life-threatening diagnosis, a devastated relationship or financial ruin. We ask “Why?” about the small stuff too. Why, when I’m in a hurry, are all the stop lights red? Why did it have to rain when I was going to take a walk? Why was my flight delayed, my luggage list, my request denied, my wallet stolen or my keys lost?

You’ve been there and so have I. Even if we’ve learned to not dwell on the “Why” of our circumstances, the question continues to pop up. “Why?” “Why ME?”

But you know, there’s another question to ask that leads us to a place of gratitude and humility. It’s asking questions like, “Why was I born in a country of such riches when others struggle to survive? Why do I get to access clean water while others travel miles for this basic commodity? Why am I allowed this job I grumble about when others who are eager to work can’t find employment? Why am I burdeed by how much extra weight I have when so very many have no food? Why do I complain about medication side effects when so many have no access to the most basic medical care? Why did I benefit from the sacrificial gift of Jesus WHILE I was still a sinner? Why am I so blessed?

Why? Why me?

The answers may vary but they all speak to the loving and amazing grace of God. It’s not that I’m blessed and “they” aren’t. The “favor of God” falls clearly on the poor as on the rich. In fact, God blesses the poor and warns the rich. While God allows both wealth and poverty, neither of them are marks of his grace. The mark of God’s grace is indelibly imprinted on the heart that chooses to follow him and honor him in all situations. The joy of the Lord is not only found in celebration parties; it’s displayed openly in a faithful life that is unshaken by the circumstances that surround.

We are blessed in order to bless others. Walk a mile in another’s shoes and discover a new way of asking “Why? and a sufficient reason to give thanks for all you have – to share so they can ask, “Why am I so blessed?!”

Are you trying to find life balance?

I had a dream. It was one of those conspiracy theory plots we all laugh about – until we discover them to be actually true. As with many dreams, the details were a bit sketchy by the time daylight arrived. But I remember the phrase “masked intentions.” In this dream I was a “mole” in an organization that promoted itself as a developer of healing medications. But in reality, their goal was to pursue a human genome project that would result in a Nazi-envisioned “perfect race.” I woke up just as I was being interrogated by the company on suspicion of being “the mole,” and before finding out if I was able to get the truth out to the public.

Whew! It was a thriller nightmare that left me exhausted. But it also left me pondering the “masked intentions” of our own lives. I wonder if we say our chief goal is to pursue God and follow his perfect plan for our lives, when in reality we are pursuing our own personal agendas. We hotly pursue profit and fame. Career and passion for personal hobbies consume us to the point people actually identify us by those pursuits. In the meantime, instead of actively pursuing God we find ourselves pursuing our own comforts and ambitions. God, family, and friendships take a second place spot in our agenda. We say, “I wish I had more time for prayer, for family, and time to visit friends who are hurting, but I am so busy!”

It’s a common dilemma. What are we to do? Perhaps our first thought is to try to achieve some sort of balance that results in a little time for what is most important in our lives. But the pursuit of balance often is like juggling too many balls in the air. Inevitably they come crashing down and create more stress that pushes us back to what we do best – pursuing our own interests and agendas.

Rather than pursuing the “perfect life balance,” may I suggest an alternative approach? What seems to make more sense is to focus on life integration. Balance requires finding time to add more into your schedule. An integrative approach to living subjects everything to the one most important thing.  The one most important thing is that which you will be most satisfied achieving at the end of life  and which brings you most enjoyment also at the end of the day.

What is that one most important thing? For most people I visit with, it comes down to faith, family, and friends. Simply stated it’s all about relationships – the only thing we take to heaven with us. So whether we’re at work or play or recharging our batteries by coming quietly before the Lord, our focus is constantly being attuned to our relationships with God and others. It is as Jesus summed up:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39

As we integrate this dual command into everything we do, we’re asking,”Is this thing I’m doing, saying, or thinking honoring God? Is it demonstrating my love for others? Is this moving me toward the one most important thing in my life?”

When we are thirsty, we don’t say, “I’ll have some juicy lemons and limes and then have a drink of water.” No, instead we infuse the citrus fruits into the water for a cool refreshing drink. All parts become blended, not balanced and it is this blending that most satisfies us.

If there’s actually a way to achieve life balance, I think you’ll find it in the simple process of integrating – blending – our chief values with your daily activities. It’s found in sediting the goodness of the Lord in all our  activities and thoughts. Don’t be deceived by masked intentions. Be fully satisfied. Enjoy the one integrated life you have to live!

Back to the basics

Famed football coach Vince Lombardi was known for his focus on fundamentals.  One of his most renown quotes hails from the time we walked into a football training camp, held up a “pigskin” and said, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” Lombardi knew the key to success was eX willing in the basics. For football, the basics were running, tossing, catching, and tackling. For music it is mastery of scales and etudes. Whether it’s hobbies or business, families or friendships, returning to the basics always leads to success. It sharpens our focus, renews our ambition, strengthens our resolve, and guides our path. No one succeeds in their quest without periodically going back to the basics.

What does that look like in your life? We tend to flock to popular authors to give us new insight on “how to” have a happy marriage, a healthy family, a successful upward moving career, or any number of other ambitions. But if you sit back and think about it, don’t you already know the basics that propel our progress in all of these? Robert Fulghum struck a chord when he wrote, Everything I needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten:”

1. Share everything.
2. Play fair.
3. Don’t hit people.
4. Put things back where you found them.
5. CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS.
6. Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
7. Say you’re SORRY when you HURT somebody.
8. Wash your hands before you eat.
9. Flush.
10. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
11. Live a balanced life – learn some and drink some and draw some and paint some and sing and dance and play and work everyday some.
12. Take a nap every afternoon.
13. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
14. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
15. Goldfish and hamster and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup – they all die. So do we.
16. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first work you learned – the biggest word of all – LOOK.

How does going back to the basics help us?

  1. It sharpens our axe and refines our focus. It helps us “put off” all the “junk” that hinders us and “put on” that which moves us toward our most treasured  life goals. It speaks purpose to our life.
  2. It stirs us from complacency and reminds us what is really important. It rejuvenates us and refuels our imaginations and our passion for living.
  3. It levels the playing field. The virtuoso and the beginner meet on common ground in the school of basics. It helps us learn from and really connect with one another.
  4. It humbles us by reminding us there is always something new to learn or relearn.

It’s being gentle and respectful and loving when you feel like acting contrary. It’s putting down your right to be right, even if you are, so you can communicate one on one with another human being. It’s listening more than speaking and sharing when tempted to keep. It’s being honest and vulnerable while standing firm in your beliefs. It’s building others up, not tearing them down.

If you are a Christian, it’s not just asking “What would Jesus do?” It’s doing what he did. For him, the basics included frequent moments of solitude and prayer, humble submission before his Heavenly Father, doing only what He told him to do. For Jesus the basics meant investing in close and meaningful relationships with others and living a life marked by compassion on those he called “the least of these.” In it’s most summarized form,  Jesus reminds us the basics are:

Love God fully.

Love one another.

Whatever is on your agenda today, it will benefit from focusing on the fundamentals of life and going back to the basics.

 

 

 

 

YOU can make a difference across the world!

The headlines we read are almost numbing. So much hurt and suffering accompanied by such feelings of helplessness. We ask, “What could I do to make a difference?”  Go Light Our World is pleased to support a missionary friend in Greece we’ve personally known for 30 years. We have to protect her name because of persecution against evangelical Christians from the Orthodox Church there. We’ll call her Mary (not her real name).

What we love about Mary is that she gives her entire life to advancing the gospel of Jesus in such practical ways. She purposefully approaches people searching dumpsters for some food. Mary has often invited sick strangers into her home and pays for their medical bills. She is a good friend to a single mom who lost her children through poverty. And Mary is your direct contact, not only with muslims who have never read the words of Jesus, but also with Syrian, Afghan, and Iranian refugees who fled to Greece from the wars that beset their homeland.

Mary counters the Orthodox teaching (that salvation is through good works) by openly witnessing to people and giving them New Testaments in their native language, encouraging them to read out loud the good news for their lives. Because of the economic despair in Greece, many people are realizing more and more that they need help from above! Here is just one account from Mary’s outreach that impacts people in hard places:

“The flow of thousands of war refugees (mainly children, women and  teenagers) continue to arrive in Greece. Several countries of East Europe have closed their borders which means that most of them are stuck in Greece. Since all the refugee camps all over Greece are overflowing, thousands have no choice but to stay outdoors in the main squares. They have no place to go, nowhere to sleep, nothing to eat and nowhere to shower or do their laundry. I purchased 3 bags of chocolate and stuffed 10 sleeping bags with the Gospel of John in Farsi language and New Testaments in Arabic. As I arrived I saw the crowds and asked the Lord to show me from where to start and to whom should I talk first. I started by giving out chocolates to some children which opened up the door to speak to their families. A few teenagers knew a little bit of English and were happy to help by interpreting the adult conversation. I started talking to one family then to another and that went on for the next 5 hours! They were hungry, sick and exhausted since they have been travelling for months. Praise God, I was able to purchase all together 50 sandwiches from a nearby store and distributed to the kids first, teenagers and women! After listening to their tragic stories I hugged them and prayed with them. They told me how they run to escape from the Taliban, the Daesh and the Islamic State. They are running to save their lives and the lives of their children from the war zones.”

“They crossed Iran, Syria and Turkey. The European countries are very upset that the Greek government rescues them from drowning. What are we supposed to do? They told me how in Turkey the smugglers took all their money to place them on plastic boats so they could cross the Aegean sea to the Greek islands where they were rescued by the Greek coast guard. They were very grateful for the sleeping bags and for the sandwiches. They kept thanking me and I kept pointing to heaven and telling them that this is from Jesus! The Lord opened a wide door for me to show His love and I prayed with several families and eventually gave more than 20 Gospel of John in Farsi language. God surrounded me with His favor and protection and made friendship with several refugees.”

Maybe you’re thinking, “That’s very admirable, but what does it have to do with me?” Unless you have the means and opportunity to fly to Greece and quickly learn the language, your best opportunity – and mine – is to support a native person who is willing to feed the hungry, care for the sick, and comfort the lonely. . . on our behalf, and in the name of Jesus.

“How can I help?”

  1. Commit to praying. Put it on your calendar. Pray once a day or once a week. Ask God (who knows her real name) to give “Mary” strength and courage and means to carry his good news to hurting people. Pray for people like Mohammad and his family who Mary invited into her home to wash their clothes. Pray for boys and girls who were traveling all alone since their parents gave all they had for them to come to Europe in order to save their lives. Mary saw 5 of these teenagers reading the Gospel of John while I was still there.
  2. Give a little.  $5-10 buys a New Testament in the native language or a bit of food for those who have so little. $25 or more can help toward the purchase of a tent for a needy family. $34 buys a sleeping bag for a child or mom sleeping in the chilly night air.

Thank you for partnering with GLOW in prayer and practical giving and doing your part to advance the Gospel through your love, giving and prayers!

www.GoLightOurWorld.org/giving One time or recurring gifts of any amount make a difference!

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