Our Example
“Our Saviour went from house to house, healing the sick, comforting the mourners, soothing the afflicted, speaking peace to the disconsolate. He took the little children in His arms and blessed them and spoke words of hope and comfort to the weary mothers. With unfailing tenderness and gentleness, he met every form of human woe and affliction. Not for Himself, but for others did He labor. He was the servant of all. It was His meat and drink to bring hope and strength to all with who He came in contact.”
“Humble, gracious, tenderhearted, pitiful, He went about doing good, feeding the hungry, lifting up the bowed down, comforting the sorrowing. None who came to Him went away unrelieved. Not a thread of selfishness was woven into the pattern He has left for His children to follow. He lived the life that He would have all live who believe on Him. It was His meat and drink to do the will of His Father. To all who came to Him for help He brought faith and hope and life. Wherever He went He carried blessings.”
ML 230
As time goes by and we approach the end, we will experience seeing more sickness and suffering all around us. Deaths are much more frequent. This year we lost many loved ones here in La Zona and surrounding villages. “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wounds of my people?” Jeremiah 8:22 Yes, there is a balm in Gilead to heal the broken heart, and God calls us to be that balm wherever we are… to soothe and heal those that are hurting.
Selvin, the young man below, worked for us at the clinic, and as a result became a Seventh-Day Adventist. He recently lost his father, but the church was there to encourage him and help him through the sorrow. Many families have lost loved ones and have experienced sickness and pain.
There are certain people that are unforgettable. Lupe was one of them. A jovial older lady who decided that she was going to be a member of the Seventh-Day Adventist church, no matter what anybody said. She was baptized and became a faithful member. In the past year, Lupe’s health suffered a decline and ended up bed ridden but she never lost her desire to come back to “her church”. We made sure that we were there for her, going night after night to sing her favorite hymns and share the bread of life with her family. We miss Lupe and all those who are now resting!
It has become a custom in the village that when someone is ill or someone dies, they expect us to be there. No matter what their religion, they seem to find comfort and hope in our hymns and messages, and it is always a wonderful opportunity to present truth from God’s word.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
