Let me tell you about Stephanie. When I met her, she was 87 years old and a woman of tremendous faith, love, and hope. She is one of the ladies we visit every week. When we first met her, she was sitting outside in the sun. She had just had a heart attack but still seemed so energetic and full of life. She even wanted to get up and walk around with us for the rest of the day. That day we prayed for her health to be fully restored. We continued to visit and pray every week but after a few weeks she wasn’t getting any better. She was actually getting worse. She didn’t go outside anymore and would just lie in her bed asleep all the time. We always tried talking with her but she wouldn’t respond or just keep sleeping. She was out of it every time we came to her.
This past Monday we got the very sad news that Stephanie had just passed. On Tuesday we were invited to visit her family and pray for them. When we got there we had no idea that Stephanie’s whole extended family and many of her friends would be there. It was a celebration of her life. The mothers were making tortillas and food for everyone while the kids played around. No one was dressed in all black but was wearing nice colorful cultural clothes. It made the time less somber. Over on the front porch of the house was Stephanie’s casket. There were lots of beautiful white flowers and pictures of her life surrounding the casket. It was a very pretty area. While I was sitting there taking everything in I was touched by how they wonderfully were celebrating the life of their loved one with such joy. I never before had seen someone’s death be taken this way.
A few weeks ago was the Day of the Dead. It’s the day after Halloween. Day of the Dead is a holiday celebrated in Central America to celebrate the lives of loved ones who have passed and it was interesting to spend this day with many people who we had met. We went out that afternoon to a big cemetery close by our base (where we live). When we got close to the entrance of the cemetery there was a very big colorful banner over our head and many vendors lined up selling delicious foods along the path. When we entered the cemetery, music was playing and the caskets were sitting above the ground. There were colorful decorated caskets lined up everywhere. Many families were there together praying over the caskets and decorating them with flowers, jewelry, food, and paint. Families would be there for the whole afternoon and to eat meals with their passed loved ones. This was another example I saw of how they joyfully celebrate the lives of their passed loved ones.
You are probably wondering why I am writing about death, but these events made me think about how I need to enjoy life here on earth and how much I have to be thankful for. Since it’s Thanksgiving I am reminded of how much I take for granted and what I should be praising Jesus for. God has blessed me with so much..the greatest family, good health, more clothes than I need, and never having to worry about where my next meal will come from. And I have this amazing opportunity to go on the World Race and share the gospel with many different people. I get to know Jesus deeper and deeper every day. This is just a short list of things that I am thankful for. There are many more things that I could mention, all thanks to Jesus.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
Much love,
Nicole
