Three weeks ago, I (Sarah) sat in a parking garage watching the rain pouring down. I was cold and weary. Our family had all had a touch of the flu, and I was still coughing and a bit feverish. At home, wet laundry hung all around the house as our sweet dryer tried to keep up, and our clothesline shrugged as if to say, “I’d love to help, but it’s raining.” That day, as I stared at the rain, I reached for my bag, and there it was: the pain in my shoulders that has been a constant the past year or more. I’d been diagnosed with frozen shoulder in both arms, and despite various treatments five days a week, my condition was getting worse. In addition to the pain, my heart and mind were heavy with the Bible translation for the deaf, people in the church who needed encouragement, and decisions we needed to make. Looking through the windshield, I cried, asking God for the wisdom we needed and telling Him I wasn’t sure I could take the pain much longer. I was overwhelmed with the sense that, in that moment, I needed to praise God. He is good; He is working His plan; our circumstances and limited knowledge don’t change that. My job is to praise Him, trust Him, and keep going.
That night, Lucas tipped a pot of boiling water on his arms and foot. As I rode with him in the ambulance with his second-degree burns, God reminded me that, whether I understood what He was doing or not, I needed to praise Him and trust Him, because that would glorify Him in that moment.
Today, three weeks later, it is a sunny day. Laundry is on the clothesline and should be dry this afternoon. Lucas’ burns are rapidly improving. Whenever we change his clothes, he looks at his arm and says, “Look! God is healing you!” It’s been one week since my left shoulder surgery, and the difference is amazing! Though my right one is still extremely painful, my left arm can move in ways it hasn’t moved in a year, and it doesn’t hurt! While I was in the hospital, our church family brought meals, baby-sat, gave our kids rides to school, and encouraged us in myriad ways.
Besides the beautiful healing God is doing other great things. Our much-longed-for roof on the Sunday School side is finished! David completed another semester of teaching at the seminary. Over the past 8 years, God has let him invest in almost 100 students, including some of our church members, to help them better understand the Old Testament.
Ten years ago, a man named Nuno called David. Nuno said his life was a mess, and he needed someone to talk to with him. David met with him, and Nuno came to church for a while, then started working on Sundays and stopped coming. But this past year, Nuno just showed up at church again, and has been coming regularly for months. He brings 6 children with him, including Gonçalo, a deaf boy that we met when he and our son, Samuel, attended the same preschool! Now, 10 years later, we’re reunited, and we have a chance to tell Gonçalo about the Bible, starting at the beginning. I couldn’t interpret this Sunday because of my arm, so our coworker, Amanda, took the deaf to a separate room during the church service and taught Denise, whom Amanda led to the Lord a few years ago, and Gonçalo. As Amanda told the story of creation, Denise often chimed in to add details or tell part of the story herself. It was beautiful to see Denise, whom Amanda once taught, now teaching Gonçalo! Please pray that Nuno will continue bringing Gonçalo, and that, little by little, he will understand the Bible and come to know Jesus as His Savior, too.
This month has been full of God’s care and grace. Whether our circumstances feel cold and rainy or warm and sunny, let’s trust Him, because He is working His plan, and let’s praise Him, because He is worthy.
Booths in Portugal 