Yesterday Marlys and I had a phone conversation with a friend who is dying of cancer. We thought that maybe we could cheer him up by calling him from Cebu. 20 minutes later we were shaking our heads, totally swept away by our brief interaction with this man. We were the ones lifted up! He gave astounding evidence of faith, assurance of salvation, joy in life and love for his family, friends and Lord, in spite of his rapidly deteriorating health condition. He asked about the ministry and the children and praised us for the work we are doing. He said, "Isn't it amazing what God has done at CSC over the years?"
Let me tell you a little about this man. More than 20 years ago his daughter and son-in-law adopted three children from CSC. He was a CSC grandpa, and became interested in the ministry. He went to bat for us with his church missions committee, presenting the ministry to them and encouraging the church to get involved. As a result of that advocasy, his church became part of our support team, and has been a great blessing to CSC in many ways. I was so happy to tell him that the church will be sending a team to Cebu for the third straight year. His willingness to tell others about our ministry helped bring much joy and hope to children, kids like his grandchildren.
My friend is finishing strong! In closing out his earthly life, he is taking joy from the relationships and involvements that God has given him. I'm happy that being a part of CSC has brought him happiness and fulfillment over the years, and especially, at this time of his life. He gave to the ministry financially, he told others and got them involved, he raised a daughter who would open her heart and home to adopted kids, he had a chance to visit the ministry, and he was a source of encouragement to the staff over the years.
I thank God for this dear man, and I pray that, at the close of my life, I will find the same joy from the things that I have invested in.
1 comment:
What an encouraging post. We pray for CSC often.
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