SEND House Notes

Her Christian name was probably Margaret, although it could have been Mary. Her name might have been something entirely different: she could have been disguising her identity for her own safety. Kirk does not know and neither do I. All we know is that when we met her she called herself Marge, and now she is dead. We met her when we went out in the winter to visit the homeless camps. She lived in a tent with her husband and they always welcomed us when we came to visit. She made our visits, which could have been awkward, warm and enjoyable.

We lost track of Marge and her husband after the Spring thaw. When the snow left, county workers came with No Trespassing signs and moved the people along. Since then, we have always asked people we met on the railroad tracks if they new Marge or her husband. Until this week, we were always met with smiles of recognition when we said their names. Today, the recognition was still there, but the man, who called himself Tazzer, told us that Marge had succumbed to illness. We do not know whether or not she was a Christian, but we do know that she always showed us warm, Christian hospitality when we came to visit.

We hope to see Margie again in the next life.

Posted by SEND Staff at 07:46 PM | Permalink

A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of hosting the Sophmore class at Kingsway Christian School, from the Holmes/Wayne County area of northwestern Ohio. The students surprised us by telling us that Kingsway sends many of their classes out on year-end missions trips. The Kingsway Sophmores came last year also, so maybe this is becoming a tradition.

If it is becoming a tradition, that tradition fares well for future SEND staff, because our week with the Kingsway group was fun and encouraging. After ministry time, for example, all of us guys piled into the 18-passenger van (people at the SEND house inexplicibly call the van 'Ike') and went to Wendy's for some late night Frosties. While we fumbled with our wallets, the school's chaperone, Don, generously produced a $20 and picked up the tab for the whole group. Thanks Don!

All said, we were blessed by having spent a week with these neat kids.

Posted by SEND Staff at 05:09 PM | Permalink

Pain and sadness touch us all. From Adam's time to ours, every one of us has carried things, cried over things, and struggled alone under the weight of various troubles. We have this in common, but we are alone in that we can never truly feel the pain of another, nor can anyone else truly feel our pain. Hurt is not quantifiable or comparable, it simply is. To compare the pain of one person to that of another sometimes appears possible; there are times when we can easily think ourselves the most stricken or think that the protestations of others are shallow and silly.

No matter how much we imagine otherwise, our guesses at what it might be like to be in another's shoes can never be more than guesses. We simply cannot know. We can only know this: that all of Adam's children are under a curse, and that the curse can only be broken in one way. During City Challenge, we spend an evening asking the only true Mediator between God and man to reach out and heal us.

Jesus has borne our sorrows and our diseases, and he offers all of us healing, forgiveness, and wholeness when we come to Him in faith and repentance. Jesus is ministering to people when we gather together for confession and prayer. He is glad to do it! So often we sit; quiet, alone, and miserable, rather than going to see the only One who can help. Jesus is the Healer of our souls and our bodies, and He is also the Liberator who breaks the bondage of sin.

We need Him, and so does everyone else on earth!

Posted by SEND Staff at 03:04 PM | Permalink