On a bus ride through the lovely countryside of South Africa on the way to my team’s final ministry contact for our World Race, I received a phone call. It was my mom. She told me that my dad, “is now seeing Jesus face to face.”
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In September of last year, my first month of the World Race, in China, my parents let me know that my dad was experiencing health challenges and couldn’t quite be diagnosed. But we all knew that I was right where God wanted me.
In October when I was in Thailand, the health challenges had a name: “Sarcoma of the Liver.” Yup, cancer.
In November, I spent two weeks in Cambodia and two in lovely Michigan, USA. My mom and grandma rigged a fantastic surprise to the rest of my family and flew me home for a bit. I’ll never forget the look on my dad’s face when he saw me walk through our front door. I’ll never forget the tightness of his embrace or the repeated, broken, earnest, “Glory to God…I love you Erika…praise God…” of his voice.
I returned to the field in December and was blessed to be used by God in Asia for two more months, Europe for four, and now, Southern Africa. All the while, I partnered with my family in prayer, expecting beautiful miracles for my Dad’s body.
And then, 2 days ago, on that smooth bus ride from Durban, South Africa to Ladybrand, I hear my mom’s perpetually strong voice over the annoyingly weak international service connection on my little World Race team leader phone, “Hi Erika. I love you. I need you to know that Dad is now seeing Jesus face to face.”
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My dad gave me a letter he wrote when I first left the States to begin the Race last September. On the front it said, (in Latin, because he knows how much I love languages of antiquity):
“To release is hard, but necessary!”
I keep meditating on that wisdom.
Words do little justice to convey my heart right now. I hurt deeply. But deeper yet, I praise. The truth of my father basking in the unveiled presence of our Father at this very moment brings such a deep abundance of peace and joy. I grieve, but not lacking hope.
In a few hours, I begin the journey home. I am so abundantly blessed to have you all. Your prayers and financial support during these past 11 months have helped sustain me, edify the worldwide body of Christ, but ultimately, glorify the Lord.
Philippians chapter 1 contains such spot on truth for my present:
“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus…I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
To die is gain.
From my heart,
Erika Venese Wynne
