Psalm 65: 11 ‘You crown the year with your bounty’. The year with its changing seasons; seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, controlling the seasons of life.
A few days ago I sat in darkness for approximately four hours waiting for the electricity supply to be reconnected. I thought of those who constantly sit in darkness, whose changing seasons have brought a legacy of darkness; whose life is filled with cold and chilling days. For them it is winter where the atmosphere is one of loneliness and chilling winds of dismay. My thoughts turned to the apostle Paul, the emotion surrounding these words: ‘Come Before Winter’. My husband is currently writing a new publication to be released later this year, simply entitled ‘Hope’ – a timely word for those feeling abandoned and without hope, pages that will symbolise words of light and hope. These three words depict longing for company, someone to care, parchments of comfort. As I think of my own seasons in life, the memories of summer days, but I also remember the winter days with an everlasting emotion of gratitude as I meditate on the Days of Harvest now filling my life. I identify with Ruth (Ruth 2: 2) ‘Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain’. I long to return to the fields of Romania where I can ‘drop a little handful on purpose’. Hudson Taylor said, ‘Where the need is greatest let us be found gladly obeying the MASTER’S command. For it is in the harvest field, it is among the reapers, that we shall find Him.’ Read more
“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.”
Shirley has just received this devastating news about her dear Dorina. She died on Thursday and the funeral was today. We know that for Dorina it is “far better” but for her wee family and all those who loved her, the loss is very deeply felt. Please pray for this family and pray for Shirley too.
In my walk of personal communion, I have been thanking the Lord for the hearts who are reaching out in love to the distant land of Romania. A land with parched and barren fields, hungry souls, lives weakened by pain, hearts broken by loss. During the first twenty days in June, thirteen deaths occurred in Emanuel Hospice. Two very young mothers, Timea leaving a seven year old son; Anca leaving a seven year old daughter. Children are receiving regular bereavement interventions from Daria. Lajos is struggling with life without Bobbie who said to him just before leaving this scene of time ‘My Life Hurts’. These are only a few; the list increases day by day.
Also remember the work of Casa Grace ministering to the Orphan, Disabled Children, Abandoned Babies, the desperately poor; those without hope and food. Our two projects: Adam’s Room will provide a nest of safety through the art of play. A Vocational Training Room for those who live in the shadow of silence, where hope never finds true fulfilment. Work is at present underway.
Thank you for shining a light of hope and restoration, enabling Tell Romania to offer provision and dignity in final days and situations of hopelessness. In searching my heart, I need to ‘Go Beyond’ to ensure the children left without Father or Mother will feel loved and that together we will try to heal their broken hearts, relieve their pain Let us pour water on this thirsty land by sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Please pray for Give With Your Heart Appeal, We are asking the Lord for His provision – Four Thousand Pounds is required for our next mission trip to complete the feeding programme from September – December, 2017. We leave for Romania on 08 October and plan to stay until after Christmas.
Shirley, 2018? I must ‘Follow My Heart’ – I cannot walk away from the pain I encounter day by day. But, I need others to walk with me. Will you join me?
‘Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works Which you have done; And your thoughts toward us Cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered’ Psalm 40: 5.
Time is measured by hours, each twenty four hour day consists of 86,400 seconds 1,440 minutes – as each day dawns we are assured our confidence is found in His heart of faithfulness. Seasons of life can change suddenly and without warning yet we have the assurance our hurt, our pain touches the heart of our Heavenly Father. The Psalmist David brings our mind into focus: ‘For You have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; Your right hand upholds me’. Psalm 63:7,8.
Richard Foster writes, ‘Without silence, there is no solitude’. Solitude is an uninhabited place, a place where children can openly talk to their Heavenly Father; walk a peaceful path sharing our innermost thoughts on a spiritual level. Since arriving back, I have come to value the little things in life, acts of kindness displayed through God’s family defining their humility of heart for others. I have been overwhelmed month by month as I personally experience that ‘He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it’. Our service, no matter how humble, food for the hungry, a word of hope to the dying, cradling an unwanted baby, the terminally ill children, all acts of service answering humanity’s cry. ‘I am the Bread of Life’; all nourishment for strength required each day is available, freshly prepared and when He says ‘Come Unto Me’, we are invited to sit at His table. ‘We taste Thee, O Thou living Bread, And long to feast upon Thee still’.Read more
Thou my everlasting portion. More than friend or life to me. All along my pilgrim journey, Saviour, let me walk with Thee.
Refrain:
Close to Thee, close to Thee. Close to Thee, close to Thee. All along my pilgrim journey, Saviour, let me walk with Thee.
Not for ease or worldly pleasure, or for fame my prayer shall be; Gladly will I toil and suffer. Only let me walk with Thee.
Lead me through the vale of shadows; Bear me o’er life’s fitful sea; Then the gate of life eternal, May I enter, Lord, with Thee.
(Frances J. Crosby).
‘More that friend or life to me’ My eyes scanned the faces of ninety two Emanuel University Graduates stepping forward to receive their reward. Recognition and reward for years of commitment and dedication to service of the heart. Many can recall saying: ‘I have set my heart to …’ ‘Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God; arise therefore, and build …’ I Chron. 22: 19. Their work is only beginning; what will they achieve? What will they leave behind? Seasons of Life pass quickly but during our span of ‘allotted years’, God has a perfect plan. We learn to fill our days for whatever earthly time is ours. How will we be remembered? What will be our legacy? What evidence of faith and perseverance? I thought of the beautiful vine when visiting a Hospice patient, its clinging leaves determined to reach far beyond the boundaries, offering a taste of sweetness from its succulent fruit. Once a mere root yet with faithful labor, careful pruning and a goal in view, twigs became fine branches of perfect produce; we are never too old to be fruitful. Read more
Thou my everlasting portion. More than friend or life to me. All along my pilgrim journey, Saviour, let me walk with Thee. Refrain: Close to Thee, close to Thee. Close to Thee, close to Thee. All along my pilgrim journey, Saviour, let me walk with Thee. Not for ease or worldly pleasure, or for fame my prayer shall be; Gladly will I toil and suffer. Only let me walk with Thee. Lead me through the vale of shadows; Bear me o’er life’s fitful sea; Then the gate of life eternal, May I enter, Lord, with Thee.
(Frances J. Crosby).
‘More that friend or life to me’ My eyes scanned the faces of ninety two Emanuel University Graduates stepping forward to receive their reward. Recognition and reward for years of commitment and dedication to service of the heart. Many can recall saying: ‘I have set my heart to …’ ‘Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God; arise therefore, and build …’ I Chron 22: 19. Their work is only beginning; what will they achieve? What will they leave behind? Seasons of Life pass quickly but during our span of ‘allotted years’, God has a perfect plan. We learn to fill our days for whatever earthly time is ours. How will we be remembered? What will be our legacy? What evidence of faith and perseverance? I thought of the beautiful vine when visiting a Hospice patient, its clinging leaves determined to reach far beyond the boundaries, offering a taste of sweetness from its succulent fruit. Once a mere root yet with faithful labor, careful pruning and a goal in view, twigs became fine branches of perfect produce; we are never too old to be fruitful.
Weeks filled with opportunity behind with a new challenge ahead. Each day, visit, situation different, yet all in need of mending. ‘I do not care if I live or die, I have no one to care for me, I will die alone’. ‘Why is God sending so much pain to me and my children?’ ‘We suffer enough in our poverty and hunger’. There is solace in sharing His word. Mark 4: 39 … ‘Peace Be Still, and the wind ceased’. A quite calmness, a bond, as we talk of the Lord Jesus and speak of His gentleness and tender compassion. I will miss my personal times with my adult patients. These will be lonely days of separation as I return to Portstewart. One memory in my heart; waiting outside the locked door of the Abandoned Baby Wing, I heard the bolt being unlocked and suddenly from nowhere, a pale, dark eyed, excited Adam ran to meet me literally jumping into my arms. ‘Mama, Mama’. He was finally back in the Centre after five weeks of isolation in hospital. My Dora, ‘Chow Shirley, I have missed you. What did you bring me …? Did you know I have been sick but I was not afraid because you told me to pray and God made me well. These are the ‘moments’ I treasure, I have come to love them and have set my heart to care in the darkness of suspense, the bedside of a sick infant, the exhausted mother struggling to survive, the unloved and unwanted baby. The suffering and weariness invading their privacy, the atmosphere filled with an unwanted cloud of heaviness. A few days ago as I waited in the shadows of a darkened room where strength had gone, I quietly shared ‘But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint’. Isa 40: 31. We are a family; I think of the young Father and Mother arranging the funeral of their baby son, Alex, aged sixteen months; (their only child). A family has obligations and it is my obligation to comfort and support through the individual valley of tears; ‘The Eternal God Is OurRefuge’. We make personal choices, decisions; mine is to discipline myself in loving as God loves and in some small way illuminate the darkness of lonely corners; lives ‘barely existing’. As I leave those I love behind, the team of Casa Grace, Emanuel Hospice, faithful in their freshness of service, whose concern for others takes priority, whose attentiveness earns respect, who serve with a determination of purpose. Their relationship is personal, they form links with those they are called to carry. Personal, yet professional in their particular skill and talent. They are God’s Box of Promises. It is time to say ‘Good Bye’; I entrust my ‘little ones’ into the care of a Loving Heavenly Father. Tiny gems who have never known love or waited with excitement of ‘Daddy coming home’. The Apostle Paul was able to say ‘And now I entrust you to God and the word of His grace’ Acts 20: 32.
This has been an amazing journey of ‘trust’ for me personally. But in the words of Elisabeth Elliot: ‘It is God to whom and with whom we travel, and while He is the end of our journey, He is also at every stopping place’. This I have proved, confirmation received, papers signed, ‘Adam’s Room’ project stamped and approved. Elena and I met to discuss plans before I leave, ‘I have an urgent need for a Massage Couch in the Children’s Therapy Department, can you help me?’ ‘Let’s leave this matter withGod’ I replied. Returning to Campus, I said to Monika, ‘I know where God can meet this need’. I hurriedly made my way to room 205, recognizing familiar steps behind me; my husband returning from Emanuel Chapel, we shared conversation; I quickly went to prepare lunch as he went to source medical items stored for hospital requirements. There in the corner not one but two Massage Couches. An amazing journey indeed, God can open doors of impossibility. ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think…’ Eph 3. 20. What an impact, what an opportunity before us. We can show our love in action.
A hurried lunch before a long drive to the village of Luncasprie where I met a family recently accepted into the programme of Casa Grace: Brother Constantine and Sister Florentina Vinter (seven children). A Pentecostal family residing in a secluded forest area. The father purchases offcuts of wood each day from the forest, loads his truck; drives to surrounding villages where he can sell for a higher price that he paid– this is their main source of income. Sister Florentina suffered a rare form of Tuberculosis recently and struggles to care for her large family. They live with Constantine’s parents. The oldest boy decided to ‘Go Fishing’ in the nearby lake. Fresh Fish for tea on the menu. We were welcome to stay. ‘SisterShirley, please may I take five extra minutes to take you to a place of beauty?’ my friend Mihai asked driving back to Campus. A cool breeze greeted us as we approached the reservoir of Barajul Vida; rays of sunshine piercing through the elegant mature trees standing tall and erect, displaying their majestic foliage. This was a place far removed from the drought many families experience just now.
Psalm 16: 6 ‘The land you have given me is a pleasant land …’ As we serve together, although in different roles, we are aware of our bond of togetherness and support one for the other. My husband has devoted himself to an itinerant ministry here in Romania, plus serving in Emanuel and his writing, working on several books at present. Yet as he ministered in the various village churches during this mission trip, the heart of the Evangelist was evident. The heart of a father shone through as he accompanied me to the Abandoned Baby Wing (a somewhat different ministry) again on our recent visit to the Hospice Chapel where the team felt encouraged as he envisaged their service. Serving as husband and wife is a blessing, serving together is a gift. We receive many gifts but it is not enough to accept and enjoy – we must share our inheritance – things we value, time set aside for ourselves. There is a deep and bottomless chasm in this land of pain, a moment of our time could be a ‘raindrop’ quenching the heat of the day.
Today I felt the reality of my own inadequacy; Andrada (Da Da) has completed her Chemotherapy and will travel to Timisoara tomorrow for a Bone Marrow Transplant; as I thought of the trauma this little one will face during the next three months, my heart broke. Kevin (6) waiting for the first of many surgeries to correct his little feet, terminal illness has returned for the third time and he requires immediate surgery. How do I deal with…? Do I have the qualities…? Do I have the resources…? ‘The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances’. (Elizabeth Elliot).
Psalm 3: 3 ‘But Thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head’.
Pray for us as we return to Northern Ireland tomorrow. Shirley, 28th May, 2017
‘They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes’. Rev: 7: 16-17.
Walking back to Campus after attending an evening in Emanuel Chapel hosted by the Moody Bible Institute Chorale, my husband and I spoke of the excellence and perfection of the arrangements. The anointed ministry portraying precious pearls of Promise, Peace, Assurance and Love. The strains of a much loved hymn by George Matheson filled my heart: ‘O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go’ I immediately thought of the teenage orphan girls I had visited earlier in the day who could certainly ‘trace the rainbow through the rain’. Rejected pearls, cast aside but chosen, loved and rescued and all because someone cared. Read more
‘Everything that touches the water of this river will live. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will be healed’ Eze: 47: 9.
The promises of God do not offer immunity from earth’s trials. Faith sees the present as sustained by God and sees the future as secure in His sovereign plan and purpose. My friend Marinela and I were reflecting on these things; it was good to renew our close friendship and share our hearts openly before the Lord and before one another. Personal relationships are important but it is an important priority to possess ‘A Heart After God’, a heart seeing the difficulties of today become strengths for tomorrow.
The Hospice Team serve in a wilderness of Terminal Illness yet continue to be a flowing stream of refreshing water. Jesus spoke of a ‘river of living water’ flowing from our heart when He is the source of this water. Emanuel Hospice care for ninety patients each month (a long waiting list) alleviating physical, psychosocial and spiritual suffering. The true heart of those who serve in this team ‘Go Beyond’ the call of duty, improving the quality of life, sharing the love of God, helping them find answers to their many questions as they face difficult situations, burdens, poverty. There are bitter circumstances of life, not easy to bear. Their resources are meagre; what are their prospects for tomorrow? As I visit families, reading the many differing ‘faces’ I see courage of the rarest kind, giving from the ashes of poverty. They are self-respecting people in dire need; yet do they mention their inequality of life? Give With Your Heart Appeal, 2017 has ensured thirty families (carefully evaluated) receive from ‘His Bounty’ offering food and dignity. For many this earthly journey is short. It is a personal choice to ‘Love’, to ‘Follow Our Heart’ and as I think about the remainder of this year and into the next my choice is to love, assured that ‘He knoweth the way I take’. During a recent visit one little boy (being asked if he would like to attend ‘Summer Camp’) turned to me and said: ‘I have been chosen’. Isa 11: 6. ‘A little child shall lead…’ Together we can be a mighty ‘Healing Stream’. Read more
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'” John 8:12.
There’s a Lighthouse on a hillside. That overlooks life’s sea.
When I’m tossed about, it sends out a light, That I might see.
The light that shines in darkness now. Will safely lead us o’er. If it wasn’t for the Lighthouse. My ship would be no more.
I thank God for the Lighthouse. I owe my life to Him.
Jesus is the Lighthouse. And from the rocks of sin.
He has shown a light around me. That I could clearly see.
If it wasn’t for the Lighthouse. Where would this ship be?
Everybody that lives about us, Says tear that Lighthouse down.
The big ships don’t sail this way anymore. There’s no use of it standing round.
Then my mind goes back to that stormy night. When just in time I saw the light.
The light from that Lighthouse. That stands there on the hill.
If it wasn’t for the Lighthouse? John 12: 26 ‘Put your trust in the light while you have it …’ Is this my Season of Duty? Is this my opportunity to be a ‘Beacon of Light’? A ‘Beacon’ serves as a light, a signal in a prominent position. Chains of ‘Beacons’ carry, bring ‘Good News’. If ‘I’ want to be a ‘Beacon’, let it be one of inspiration and encouragement, fixing my heart on God, asking Him to influence all my ‘Seasons of Duty’, to help me sow seeds that will grow and flourish. How do I respond to the cries of the poor, the lonely, the lost, the dying, other people’s children? I must find a sequestered spot where I can be hidden away with God, listening as to how He would instruct me to ‘Carry the Light’. Read more
Psalm 65: 11 ‘You crown the year with your bounty’. The year with its changing seasons; seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, controlling the seasons of life.
In my walk of personal communion, I have been thanking the Lord for the hearts who are reaching out in love to the distant land of Romania. A land with parched and barren fields, hungry souls, lives weakened by pain, h
