A Layne Post
We thought they wouldn’t have to; they said there would be 6 more months of treatment instead of amputation. Our hopes rose. I stopped praying so hard, so consistently with Anaya. We rejoiced there would be no new trauma while we were out of the country, unable to help in any way. It seemed as though the Lord had chosen mercy. Perhaps this was the one for healing, the one we’d see. This 13 year old boy would potentially have years of soccer ahead of him.
But then the email arrived… the news. Amputated. So permanent. His leg is gone.
I laid in bed crying, for what would not be the last time. It still comes in waves. If only we could get there. Jon would play chess with him. Maybe I’d bake something special. Anaya would do something to bring about his smile. I’d hug his Mama, and beg to help, though there would be little to actually do.
They are fine without us. His Mama is strong and loving. Our dear friend Alice is helping, likely better than we could imagine for ourselves. They may not feel our absence as much as we feel theirs. I think that is a little miracle the Lord does in us; He puts His heart in us, His heart of longing.
The other night we sat around with Jon’s family worshiping the Lord by the fire. We sang about the relentless love of God that pursues us. I wondered if we could ever communicate that love to this boy, if ever he would know how deeply the Father desires and loves him. I wondered if he would struggle to forgive, or be able to understand a love from a Father who has allowed cancer to take all it has. He’s only 13.
Pray with me. Pray the Lord would be relentless in His love, relentless in His pursuit for this boy.
And physically, pray that the boy’s body would be strong and healthy to recover, something we rarely see.
Hi Jon and Layne and Anaya. Well, I am always blessed when I have the chance to catch up with you guys. Quite a bit of time passes between my “reads”, but I love the way you share and express your heart. We thank God for what you are doing in Mozambique. This furlough has been strange for us – and two fold in purpose, getting our boys situated and itinerating. Michael said, “I don’t know which is a dream….is our life in Bots a dream? or our time in the USA? It has been difficult on many levels, but God is faithful. We are just trusting Him day by day, and thankful we get to be on the same continent as our children as they make their adjustments. We love you guys!!! oxxoxox
I’m sorry you got this news. : ( How difficult to be so far away and feel so helpless to help. Praying that this boy would put his hope in God… not in people, who can’t always come through.
Sigh. Pain, sickness, and suffering can seem so relentless … especially in a ministry such as yours. It is so good to remember the relentless love of God. I do pray that this love will become more REAL to your little friend than the trauma of his loss. And I know that when someone encounters our God-who-created-all-things-and-loved-enough-to-sacrifice-his-Son, pain, sickness, and suffering are totally eclipsed.
I join you in praying for a God encounter and healing mercy.