Wednesday, February 02, 2011

Beginnings and Endings

I've been offering up a lot of prayers lately for friends (and friends and family of friends) who are beginning or ending journeys. One such person is John, the father of my friend Ashley. He is in the final days (perhaps hours even) of his battle with a brain tumor. John is a faithful man of God and his family is comforted by the knowledge that, while his earthly journey is ending, his eternal journey is about to begin. Still, I can't imagine the pain of saying goodbye.

Another person beginning a journey is Sara, a young mother in Nashville. She grew up in my hometown, attended the same school that I did (although she is several years younger than me so we didn't really know each other). She was recently diagnosed with colon cancer that has spread to her liver and some lymph nodes in her abdomen. She just began chemo earlier this week, and has set up a Caring Bridge page to share her story. She is confident that the cancer is another opportunity for God to be glorified, and I am confident that many people will be touched by her story and encouraged by her faith in God.

On a happier note, my friends Betsy and Chad are moving ever closer to completing the adoption process and beginning their new life as a family of six with daughter Addison. They made their first trip to Ethiopia a couple of weeks ago and got to finally meet Addison in person. They received news today that they received clearance from the U.S. Embassy and could be returning to Ethiopia in just a couple of weeks to bring Addison home! It is exciting to see how quickly God has been moving over the past couple of months, and I can't wait to finally see the little cutie in person. You can read about their journey to becoming Addison's parents on Betsy's blog.

Would you please take a moment to join me in praying for all of these people, and countless others, who are beginning and ending these journeys? There are so many opportunities for God to be glorified, both in suffering and in rejoicing. His timing and His ways, while often a mystery to us, are truly perfect.

2 comments:

Betsy said...

Lisa- Lauren and I are with the same agency, we have been following each other's blogs for month, met last month in Ethiopia and Yes, are traveling together soon to bring home our little ones! How fun, and what a small world it is in the body of Christ! Thanks for blessing us with your Gift- b/c of you and so many others God is heaping blessings on us more than we could ask or imagine- thank you so much!!!

Lisa said...

What a small world indeed!