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THE
WOMAN ON THE PHONE was insistent. She needed to talk with the writer of that story about
the Holy Spirit and the sick boy. The article in the June 1996 Lutheran Woman Today was
about a baby with a potentially fatal malformed heart. The author wrote about how the Holy
Spirit comforted his family during experimental surgery to correct the condition.
The ending was happy; the baby lived. We ran photos taken as he
grew. The article was about the power of prayer, how we are not alone in difficult times
and how a family's faith was sustained during those days.
The woman on the telephone had discovered that her newborn
grandson had the same condition. She desperately wanted to talk to the author of this
story. While we don't release writers' personal phone numbers, I did pass along her number
to the author and asked if the author would phone her. Then I forgot about the request.
Months later I received another call from the worried
grandmother. She wanted us to know that her grandson also had successful surgery. More
than that, she wanted us to know how much that story meant to her, how it was a life-line
to their family, and how helpful the writer and her family had been to them during that
difficult time.
She and her grandson's parents had been sustained and encouraged
by words? words in a magazine that we put together far away, and with no idea of what
their impact might be. Yet the Holy Spirit used it to made an important connection and
change a life.
Early in 1999, the Rev. Gladys G. Moore, a Lutheran pastor in
New Jersey, read what she describes as a moving feature article in her local daily paper.
The story presented with words, photographs and statistics the grim picture of the
devastating effects of HIV/AIDS in Africa. Listed were a number of Southern African
countries with an ever increasing number of children orphaned when their parents die from
the effects of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
Zimbabwe was one of the countries mentioned, and there was this
story of Willard (14 years), Joseph (10 years) and Cloud Tennant (8), children orphaned by
AIDS. The elder one was taking care of the others. It is the kind of report that you read
through tears, Pastor Moore said.
Gladys knew she had to do something for these children. "The
faces of those children stayed with me, how I prayed for them ..." But why did she
pick on Zimbabwe and not other countries mentioned in the report? Thanks to the Conference
of International Black Lutherans (CIBL), she already knew the bishop of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe (ELCZ) the Rt. Rev. Ambrose Moyo.
Pastor Moore participated in the annual 440 km Boston-New
York bicycle ride, then celebrating its fifth year and raise money for its Hope and
Healing for Africans with Aids (HAHFAWA) association and for the AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe.
"I requested my donors to send two checks - one to
HAHFAWA and one to the AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe," she relates. And, a few days before
packing her bags to travel to Germany for the latest CIBL conference, she picked a check
of more than $10,000 towards Zimbabwe's AIDS orphans.
When she presented this check to Bishop Moyo, who was one of the
co-chairpersons of the conference, Moore said what she did was one way of bringing
attention about the AIDS orphans. It is an example that something can be done, she said
and encouraged CIBL to support such initiatives so that AIDS orphans like Willard, Joseph
and Clowd may get support.
Bishop Moyo expressed deep appreciation to Pastor Moore for
responding to the plight of AIDS orphans. Such monies are channeled through the Lutheran
parishes' programs for people affected by and those living with AIDS/HIV.
The Lutheran World Federation is a global communion of 128 member
churches in 70 countries representing 58 million of the world's 61.5 million Lutherans.
This story is one of many stories of how God, working through the church, helps the right
people to connect with each other to work for good.
Few people know how long it
takes for people to recover from a disaster. The church knows, and is in disaster response
"for the long haul," as evidenced by this recent story.
Saturday evening, May 15th, nearly a hundred people
gathered for a free community dinner at St. Anthony Hall in Strong City, Kansas. Six
months after floods destroyed or damaged many homes and small towns, the meal was a time
to reflect on what they’d been through, be reassured that help is still available and
look toward recovery. The Rev. Christine Iverson led a light-hearted look at disaster
recovery and stress that included laughter and helpful information. The event was hosted
by the Chase County Unmet Needs Committee and made possible by a grant from Lutheran
Disaster Response through Lutheran Social Service.
"I am so glad you had this dinner. You don’t know how
important this was for us," one woman remarked at the end of the dinner. Speaking of
the worry and sleepless nights during the recent storms and rains, she said, "I
thought I was the only one who felt this way. I thought I was going crazy; now I know
it’s normal after a disaster." Another person said they hadn’t thought you
could find anything to laugh at until Rev. Iverson began the lists: "You know
you’ve worked in disaster too long when you walk into a disaster meeting and it feels
like a family reunion ..." and "You know you’ve been disastered when you
know your FEMA number better than your social security number ...".
The goal of the evening was to help people learn about how
disaster affects them emotionally, spiritually and physically while also experiencing the
healing effects of laughter and community. Rebuilding and repairing is in progress but it
takes time and can be a frustrating experience, added to the losses suffered by the
disaster. Frequent spring rains have kept creek and river levels on the rise while fields
are standing in water. Recent storms and deadly tornadoes also have raised the stress
levels of those affected by last fall’s floods.
Through the generosity of church members, Lutheran Disaster
Response and Lutheran Social Service are present for the long haul, witnessing to
God’s hope and healing.
In Tanzania, women cannot own or inherit land. A woman’s standing in the community improves when she marries, and is made even better if she bears a son. But a woman who loses her husband and has not a son has nothing.
For decades, June Nyblad, an ELCA missionary, ministered to and with the women of the Mount Meru region in Tanzania. In their powerlessness she saw strength, sheer physical strength and determination. In their poverty she saw wealth, a richness of creativity and experience. In their despair she saw hope, the hope that springs from being one in the body of Christ.
June and the women gathered regularly for morning Bible study. Soon those sessions extended into the afternoon as the women began to explore ways they could help other women in their communities. June encouraged them to use the gifts each brought to the group.
Based on their ability to cut firewood, the women became adept at chopping down trees and splitting logs. Then they turned to construction and used the wood they’d cut to build small, sturdy houses for homeless women. Since all knew how to sew, they began making clothing for people who lacked the barest essentials. When demand for the clothing grew, the women established a co-op from which they sold or bartered their products.
Community health and hygiene was another area in which the women developed and shared their knowledge. Women talking with other women meant the message was heard and the messengers respected. Today, long after her retirement, the women of Mount Meru still remember June and her ministry among them with thanksgiving.
From Musa:
One hot afternoon I began a casual conversation with a man
resting under his booth in Mayo Belwa, Nigeria. When I asked, "How are your wives?
(he is a polygamist), he replied, "They are busy preparing grain and chicken for the
best and last meals."
"Last meals? What's happening?" I asked.
"We heard that the world will come to an end very soon, so
we thought it wise to enjoy the best we can," he answered.
I said, "When you are done slaughtering the chicken and
preparing enough of everything you need, please give the rest to me."
After a long pause, he said, "If the world is coming to an
end, what would you need those things for?"
I responded, "I will remain behind." Then paraphrasing
Jesus' words in Matthew 24, I explained that only God knows the hour. Anyone who claims to
know the date and time for the end of the world is lying and telling false prophesies.
He was happy and excited to hear of my Christian belief. At our
conversation’s end he said that he was going to read more of the Bible text.
Sharing my faith made me happy and excited, too!