Each member of my team shared different things with her to encourage and comfort her. I shared with her 2 Samuel 12 in which David’s son died, but that David worshipped God and said that his dead son can’t come to him now, but that one day David will be with his son. Even though Simbang’s daughter was two years old, Simbang told us that her daughter had faith and would pray to Jesus with her. One day Simbang will meet with her daughter again. That is something she can find comfort in. My team sat in a circle holding hands with her and the women as we prayed for her comfort and healing. As we were praying, Brook’s arm felt as if it was on fire with pain. Brook was holding hands with Simbang and she said her arm that was touching Simbang was hurting so badly, but that she didn’t know where the pain was coming from. Immediately after we finished praying and Brook removed her hand from Simbang’s and she felt no pain in her arm at all anymore. For a brief moment, Brook physically felt the embodiment of Simbang’s emotional grief with her. Yet in the midst of Simbang’s grief, she is always in celebration and song and always seeking a word from Scripture for encouragement. Even in the midst of grief, we can remember the past, but we need to lean into the future otherwise we will be stuck in the history of what was rather than living in the present of what is.
