May 2016
Dear Praying Friends,
The deep chest pain was a harbinger of what was
coming. She fearfully posted on Facebook
that Tuesday morning, “I need a miracle!”
Later that day, the heart attack hit with such pain that she collapsed,
unable to move. Her husband called for
an ambulance and held her while they waited for help to arrive.
Last year, this couple began attending services at our
church in Lagos. He was thrilled with
our verse by verse studies of God’s word, she was less than enthusiastic. He was growing spiritually and reaching others,
while his wife sat impatiently through the services, fidgeting with her phone
and looking out the window in the auditorium.
Eventually, she quit coming and then began inventing things for them
both to do during service times. Two months ago, he stopped attending church. Then we got the news.
At her funeral, he wept as I hugged him. He was haunted by the nightmare of watching
his 46 year old wife slip out into eternity in his arms. He looked at us, with tears welling up in his
eyes and said, “She died with fear in her eyes.” He paused to gain control of
his voice and then continued. “Christians don’t die with fear, do they?” What is so heartbreaking about these kinds of
funerals is that we don’t know if she is with the Lord.
In the past month, we have lost four people whom we
have loved and prayed for. Two are with
the Lord, two are not. This is why you
keep us here: to stand between the
living and the dead and proclaim Christ.
Thankful for the saved, grieving for the lost,
Mark Hale
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