It was an early Saturday morning and we were getting ready to go say good-bye to a team. All of our staff had worked tirelessly for months helping with the school, the church, and the teams. We were excited to have a one week break before the next team would arrive. I looked at my phone and read the message from our worker, Shadya, that read “Jael and Adan’s sister, Crisabeth, passed away during the night.” My heart broke for the young mother, Brislyn, and the younger siblings, Jael and Adan. Shadya had worked through the night making sure the paperwork was completed and the family received a casket for sweet Crisabeth.
Several of the workers had breakfast with the team as they talked about all of the things accomplished during the week. However, we were hurting and heartbroken as we knew the next days, weeks, and months would be spent grieving with the family. After we said our good-byes to the team, we immediately went to the store to buy food for the family. It is custom for the family to feed the visitors who come to the house during the visitation time. We loaded the cart with food for the visitors and the family as tears streamed down our faces.
Our Saturday was spent buying and delivering food, buying funeral clothes for the family, providing bus transportation to the cemetery, visiting with the family, etc.
On Sunday, we stood in a cemetery and listened to the cries as a family said good-bye to a precious thirteen year old girl. As the men picked up the shovels to cover the casket with dirt, the cries from a hurting mother echoed. Our teachers quickly grabbed Jael and Adan into their arms as the young children began to weep.
The following week, Jael and Adan returned to school where they received a hot breakfast, a nutritious lunch, instruction from a loving teacher, and hugs from many friends. Although the mother was mourning, she had the assurance of knowing her two young children were being loved by our staff.
I have always been on the giving end during any type of difficult times. I like to have solutions to the problems. I like to be able do something tangible to help during a time of need. Over the past several weeks, I have been on the receiving end during our deepest valley. People have brought us food, completed paperwork, helped make funeral decisions, bought us funeral clothes, given many hugs, sent countless messages, prayed constantly for us, and simply loved us.
Last night, I received a late text message from our worker, Chino, that absolutely broke my heart. The mother of two of our middle school boys had passed away after a fight with cancer. I wept for the family. However, our staff had already helped complete paperwork, arrange for a casket, bought food, and hugged the family before they sent me the text (they are trying to protect me from worrying about our students). Today they attended the burial as two young boys said their good-byes to a loving mother.
Occasionally people will ask me what we do when a team is not on the mountain. Teaching math, cooking lunch, building houses, etc. are the easy things. Listening to the cries of the mothers say good-bye to a child or sitting in a house as a young girl cries over the loss of a father are the difficult days. I am so thankful for the people God has put in our lives who walk with us on the best and the worst days. Our prayer is that we will always point people to Jesus Christ–even in our suffering.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” 2 Corinthians 1: 3-5
Shining Light Abroad Ministries 