By the
way, please pray for Saul and his family. Yesterday, when I revisited him
with Alex and another friend from the church, Ken, I thought of Job. Saul
endures extreme itchiness and discomfort, and like Job, admitted to relieving
(or trying to) the itching by using a blunt edge, like that of a table.
They’ve been trying to save up enough money to go to Germany for
treatment.
He’s
waiting for test results so that he can be prescribed some medication that can
ease (somewhat) the swelling and itching. He hasn’t been able to work
full-time; in the past, he worked as a hotelier but now works as a consultant
for people wanting to start their own business in the hotel industry.
Even that, however, isn’t enough, as he hasn’t been able to leave the house.
You see,
not only is he uncomfortable, but also very self-conscious of his appearance. Are you familiar with the Marvel superheroes
the Fantastic Four? One of the characters is “The Thing,” and
Saul kinda reminds me of him. I say this
not to make fun of him, but it’s the only way I know how to describe him for
you.
I don’t
know what Saul was like when he was healthy, let alone before we met, but he
has a gentle demeanor, and received us so graciously. His voice is marked with patience and
kindness. I’m still in disbelief at his
attitude; if he were cranky and depressed, I wouldn’t blame him. I can hardly keep from scratching off my
epidermis where mosquitos have bitten me. How would I handle his condition?!
His
daughter Nelly seemed to be taking it in stride; after all, she’s been kept
busy during her vacation from school. She
did say that her mother’s been stressed. With the household down to one breadwinner for medical expenses and
school fees, it’s understandable.
In the
midst of just trying to make it – and well, just taking a few steps is almost
agonizing – Saul hasn’t been to church, where he’s been a member for years. During this visit we shared words of
encouragement from the Bible and prayed for him, as we did previously. This time around, somehow, God (I believe)
led me to ask a few questions, which led me to exhorting them to pray and read
the Bible as a family.
I hope
this is a lesson I remember when things get less pleasant.
I don’t
know if I should say this, but after our first visit, Neil said that he almost
cried. I suppose if Neil wasn’t so
manly, he’d have been a bawling mess. After this visit, Alex told me, “Sara, I don’t know if anybody saw me,
but when we saw him, I was crying.”
Have I
become so steely, unfeeling, calloused, or semi-world weary that I can’t even
shed a single tear at this man’s predicament?
Or can it
be that I have that much faith that God will heal my friend quickly? Could it be that seeing the flicker of hope
in Saul’s eyes strengthened my own flame? Was it because God gave me strength to keep it together for his sake, so
that he could afford to forget and be distracted for awhile?
The
church has visited him, and taken up special offerings (I think?) for him. I have his email address so I will try to check
on him whenever possible for updates. Would you join me in praying for him?
I believe
God will heal Him as only He can; it’s just a matter of time. Let’s share the joy!
This
morning, as we (Dunamis) reflected on the past month, I noticed God used each
of us to minister to one or two people. Whether we were aware of it, God sent us to go after the one (or few). Please read our blogs (links are on the left
for my team; check out team Judah’s blogs here) to read the stories.
