It is an immense privilege to serve the Lord and partner with you in the ministry. Your prayers and financial support are making a difference in this small corner of the world. Please know that we are grateful.
Several weeks ago, on a Sunday morning, while we were practicing music for the worship service that was about to take place, a woman came into the church and told me the tragic news that her nephew had taken his life. She came to me because her nephew was the son of a dear woman who has been attending our church for several months and who shows evidence of a genuine work of God in her soul. She asked that I go and visit her sister as soon as I was able.
After the morning service, I went to see the woman who had lost her son. She was in sorrow and deep distress. I spent time helping her find comfort and strength in the Lord. It truly is incredible to see someone cling to Christ and His grace through a loss so great that it can only be truly understood by personal experience.
She asked me to conduct what would be my first funeral, and as I prepared for it I felt much fear and trepidation. I greatly wanted to speak the truth in love and be faithful to Christ in what I said and in how I said it.
A few days later, my wife and I met with her and she told us that she believed there was a reason for all things, even the death of her son, and that even if just one person would be saved through this tragedy, it would all be worth it. My wife and I had gone there to be an encouragement to her, but we ended up being greatly encouraged by God’s grace at work in this woman through her trial.
The day of the funeral came, and the chapel was filled with family members and friends of the deceased. The pain of loss was visible in many faces. The Scripture readings, song selections, and the sermon were all focused on pointing the grieving to Christ as the only source of true comfort and hope. The cross was declared to be the demonstration of God’s love for us, and how God can be good to us, not because we are good, but because He is. I shared how forgiveness and eternal salvation are God’s promised gifts to those who repent and believe in Christ, and urged them to trust Him with their lives.
After the funeral, several family members of the deceased shared how the service and the message had affected them, and some even asked for a personal visit to their homes. Please pray for the believing woman who lost her son and for those in attendance – that they would look to Christ in faith.
Ministry opportunities come in various ways: sometimes in remembering and celebrating past events in order to teach the timeless truths of the Christian faith; other times in being called upon to bring the Word of Life to the grieving. Whatever shape they take, please pray that we would be found faithful to Christ in all things, and that the Lord would bless our labors with a harvest of eternal fruit to His glory.
