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WRITE 2 THE HEART
Stories that are aimed "Write 2 the Heart"
March 30, 2004
Cheryl Speir, Editor, moderator@write2theheart.com.
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Suddenly, Janet’s husband faced certain death. Would she
soon be a widow? She searched her Bible for verses of
comfort to carry her through this time. The comfort and
peace she sought seemed to elude her; yet a chance
encounter gave her the peace she needed. Or was it a
chance encounter?
Comfort from Above
By Janet Seever
A blanket of haze hung over Manila. Although it was only
6:30 a.m., the day promised to be another hot, humid one.
Dreading the trip ahead, I wished I could make the
nightmare of the past few days vanish.
Weaving through traffic, the Filipino driver was taking my
co-worker, Helena, and me to the bus station. Manila traffic
was as unnerving now as it had been when our family had
arrived in the Philippines five months earlier to do mission
work.
I settled back against the seat, my mind whirling. My
husband, Dennis, had undergone tests in the Manila Heart
Hospital for shortness of breath and chest pains. Doctors
discovered that his previous damage from rheumatic fever
had now doubled.
The cardiologist's words ran through my mind like a
continuous tape loop: Atrial fibrillation. Sixty percent leakage
past the mitral valve. Congestive heart failure. Fluid in the
lungs. A dangerously enlarged heart.
Dennis needed surgery within a month, or he would face
certain death. Even now the cardiologist didn't know if the
surgery would be successful.
Today's bus trip would take me back to the little
community of Lantap, 180 miles north of Manila where we
had been learning one of the national languages. I needed to
pack up all of the belongings we had left behind when we
hurriedly came to Manila for Dennis's tests.
My thoughts drifted to Dennis, my husband of ten years,
and our two children who were staying in the mission guest
house in Manila. "Lord, be with them today; keep Dennis
safe."
Over the past few days I had looked Bible verses on
peace and comfort, but God's peace still eluded me. Would I
be a widow at thirty-nine? "Lord, I know You want me to trust
You, but I'm finding it hard. I'm so afraid."
"I recognize that corner," said Helena, jolting me back to
the present. "The bus station will be on our right in about
three blocks."
Since we were early, we had our choice of seats on the
bus. The 180-mile trip ahead of us though the mountains of
Luzon would take about eight hours, with many stops along
the way.
Other passengers were now beginning to fill the bus. I
looked up just as two young men entered. One was carrying
a guitar and both had a lapel pins. As they came closer, I
could see one pin read "Trust God" and the other was a
cross within a fish. Were they Christians?
Finding seats directly in front of us, the two men turned
around to greet us. They knew English well.
"Are the two of you with SIL?" asked one of the men.
"Yes. How did you know?" I asked, shocked that we
could be identified in a city of 10 million people. How had
they even heard of SIL, the Bible translation organization
with which Helena and I were working?
"You don't look like tourists because you don't have
cameras," was the response. "You're not dressed like
tourists."
One of the men, a Filipino of Chinese descent, explained
he was Pastor Lim from a small church about forty miles
beyond where we were going. He had met someone from
SIL on a previous bus trip. He said he was the first in his
Buddhist family to become a Christian, causing his family to
reject him.
In answer to his question about my family, I explained
that my husband has a serious heart condition and I needed
to go back and pack up our things. Conversation with this
gentle man came easily. "God wants me to trust Him, but I'm
afraid my husband might die," I said, wiping tears from my
eyes.
"God loves you very much and is watching over your
family," Pastor Lim replied. "Your husband will be all right."
For the next hour he Lim turned around in his seat and
lovingly shared Scripture and words of comfort with me.
Then he prayed with me. God's peace, which had been
eluding me, flooded over me. I felt God's presence in this
encounter with a stranger in a way I never had before.
"Thanks, Lord, for showing me You care for me. I trust
You."
As I thought about this incident shortly afterward,
questions rushed to my mind. Just who were these two
men? How did they know who we were? A Bible verse came
to mind. "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so
some have entertained angels without knowing it" (Hebrews
13:2 NIV).
What do angels look like?
When I reached the bamboo house in Lantap, I repacked
everything we owned into a crate. Then I returned to Manila
by bus three days later.
Because Dennis might die, we returned to the U. S. for
the surgery to be near our families. Heart damage in the
U.S. was rated 1 to 4, with 4 being the most serious. Doctors
ranked Dennis as 4 plus. However, true to Pastor Lim's
prediction, Dennis came through the surgery well. The
mechanical heart valve is still working well eighteen years
later.
Over the passing years, I've often thought about the
incident on the bus. The strangers seemed as human as I
am . . . but who understands God's ways? Of one thing I am
certain--it was a God-arranged encounter. My two "angels"
came with God's message of love and comfort when I
desperately needed it.
© 2002 Janet Seever
jseever1 @ shaw.ca
You are encouraged to write to the authors to let them know
what you think of their story. Have a comment on today's story?
Send it to: moderator@write2theheart.com.
The mother of two adult children, Janet Seever lives in
Calgary, Alberta, Canada, with her husband, Dennis. She
writes for Word Alive magazine and has had articles
published previously on in magazines and on the Web. You
can reach her at jseever1@shaw.ca or read more of her
writing at www.inscribe.org/janetseever
Letters From Our Readers
What a joyful ministry Jo Ann has. I imagine that she has
even more wonderful stories that she witnessed. God bless
her and the work she does. I can only imagine the comfort
she brings to the families.
Tina
I was misty-eyed reading about the faithfulness of the
lady’s partner. All those years of caring for her with no
response. Then all of a sudden letting those around her
know she loves them. Real life has Hollywood beat.
L Grant
Military Prayer Reminder
As you read over this list of names, please take a
moment to pray for these young people and their families:
Chris Speir
Tim Speir
Alan
Thaddeaus
Howard
Todd Holland
Graham
William
Julie Sagel
Jessie
Marshal Thompson
Jason
Eric Hernandez
Kristin Danielson
Ken Prieur
Ryan
Jonathan P. Wells
Larry Miele
Daniel
Amy
John
Joanne
Gary Boardwine
Josh
Please continue to pray for our country, our leaders, and
our troops at this time. If you have loved ones in the military,
or who are being called to go overseas, send their names (first and
last or first only) to be included in our prayer reminder.
Cheryl’s Corner
Ever since my birthday earlier this month, a helium
balloon has been floating freely through my house. This
balloon has been part of a delightful gift from Junie and
grandsons Drew and Tyler. The helium has been escaping
and it now droops and only flies half-mast.
David tried to throw it into the air, but it wouldn’t stay on
the ceiling. He then playfully batted it to me and I returned it.
This started a slow motion volleyball game, complete with
slow motion running, spiking and stretched out words. I was
ahead until I started giggling. I couldn’t help but think, it our
children walked in at that moment they would have thought
their parents had lost what little sense they had. The thought
of the looks on their faces made me laugh even harder.
David won; he is now king of the living room volleyball court.
Cheryl
Copyright © 2004, Write 2 the Heart
Nothing may be reproduced or published without
the written permission of the individual author or
copyright owner. All rights belong to the authors.
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