Those of you who’ve contacted me after my last post, “Holding Hands with Grief”, I thank you. Your words of consolation; your sharing of your own griefs and struggles; it all helps to break open the isolation that often accompanies sorrow and allows the healing to begin. You are in my prayers; and fear not, prayer is not a burden, but a gift!
For the word consolation means “to be” (con) “with the lonely one” (solus). To console is not an erasing of the pain, but a willingness to sit with another in their struggles. And in this simple gift of consolation, there is joy, even with the sorrow. Joy and sorrow interwine as they sit side by side, holding hands.
And so, it is with a grateful heart and deep joy that Dennis and I are getting ready to leave for Kenya. Our bags are packed (almost). It’s been 15 months since our last trip and we are itching to return to the place we call our second home; the place that beckons us with its beauty, its kindness and the place where Christ’s mercy is lived out, especially at Rehema Hospice and Clinic.
We ask for your prayers as we travel with another couple. Our suitcases are full of donated items for Rehema Hospice and Clinic: lovingly quilted wall hangings and little pocket crosses, crucifixes for each room; wound care supplies and a few treats. And of course, I have my trusty stash of Hot Tamales and SweetTarts. (Pastor David Chuchu is partial to them and he insists that they give him energy during our drives!).
Always Mercy,
Pamela
