October 7, 2010
Changuinola, Bocas del Toro
Panamá
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
God is wonderful and fulfills His promises!
How many times have we doubted that God literally speaks to us?
I praise and bless the name of God for having given us the privilege of accompanying one of our families in “la Iglesia Bautista de Sixaola, Costa Rica” (First Baptist of Sixaola) during the illness and death of a family member.
The family of Clarita Chavarría kept Clarita’s mother, Lázara Fidelina Chavarría in their home for many months. Lázara, age 94, was terminally ill with breast cancer that had spread to her entire torso. Months went by sapping her physical but not her spiritual strength. We visited her every week, we listened to her conversations, we read the Bible, we sang praises and we prayed.
In late July at the end of a day Lázara Fidelina told us: God spoke to me and told me that I am going with him on the 26th. We all were thinking about this. The month of August arrived and on the 26th Lázara began to experience a lot of pain. We thought this would be the day that she would go with God. But nothing happened. That day she was put on morphine. On August 27, we went to visit her again and she shared her sadness because she had not gone to be with the Lord as He had told her. As God guided me, I told her, “God told you the 26th but He did not say the month.” Trust in Him and he will fulfill what he told you. This calmed her down. Her faith increased ours and that of all those who visited her.
The month of September arrived and it was getting close to the 26th. It was Sunday, September 26 and Lázara Fidelina had a very bad night. As she had done every day, she awoke at 4:00 AM. Her daughter, Clarita who took care of her told her she was not going to bathe her in the bathroom, but in her room. She told her that it was September 26 and this was the day that God was going to call her and she wanted to be well bathed. She was going to walk to the bathroom saying her favorite verse: “I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
When she returned to her room and they put her back to bed the final agony began. They came to the church looking for me. We prayed, sang, and we read the Bible. Throughout the day different persons accompanied her. The church held their service at 7:15 PM that Sunday, September 26. God arrived to accompany Lázara Fidelina to her final resting place. Blessed and praised be His name!
We give thanks to God because He always fulfills His promises!
“La Iglesia Bautista de Sixaola accompanied the Chavarría family during this special time. God gave me the privilege of preparing the body so that it would not decompose during the hours it would take to have the viewing and burial. We thank God for what the life and death of our beloved sister represented and will continue to represent for the church, for her family and for the community.
As a missionary on innumerable occasions I have had the opportunity to accompany person who are going through different situations. Our spiritual and emotional strengths are touched, but God revitalizes them through these experiences.
Please accompany us in prayer and remember that as an organization we have begun our annual World Mission Offering campaign. Your financial contribution will make a difference so that our presence and yours may be in many parts of the world being supportive in different situations.
Rev. Ingrid Roldán-Román
International Ministries Missionary
Working in Panamá and Costa Rica
Changuinola, Bocas del Toro
Panamá
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
God is wonderful and fulfills His promises!
How many times have we doubted that God literally speaks to us?
I praise and bless the name of God for having given us the privilege of accompanying one of our families in “la Iglesia Bautista de Sixaola, Costa Rica” (First Baptist of Sixaola) during the illness and death of a family member.
The family of Clarita Chavarría kept Clarita’s mother, Lázara Fidelina Chavarría in their home for many months. Lázara, age 94, was terminally ill with breast cancer that had spread to her entire torso. Months went by sapping her physical but not her spiritual strength. We visited her every week, we listened to her conversations, we read the Bible, we sang praises and we prayed.
In late July at the end of a day Lázara Fidelina told us: God spoke to me and told me that I am going with him on the 26th. We all were thinking about this. The month of August arrived and on the 26th Lázara began to experience a lot of pain. We thought this would be the day that she would go with God. But nothing happened. That day she was put on morphine. On August 27, we went to visit her again and she shared her sadness because she had not gone to be with the Lord as He had told her. As God guided me, I told her, “God told you the 26th but He did not say the month.” Trust in Him and he will fulfill what he told you. This calmed her down. Her faith increased ours and that of all those who visited her.
The month of September arrived and it was getting close to the 26th. It was Sunday, September 26 and Lázara Fidelina had a very bad night. As she had done every day, she awoke at 4:00 AM. Her daughter, Clarita who took care of her told her she was not going to bathe her in the bathroom, but in her room. She told her that it was September 26 and this was the day that God was going to call her and she wanted to be well bathed. She was going to walk to the bathroom saying her favorite verse: “I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
When she returned to her room and they put her back to bed the final agony began. They came to the church looking for me. We prayed, sang, and we read the Bible. Throughout the day different persons accompanied her. The church held their service at 7:15 PM that Sunday, September 26. God arrived to accompany Lázara Fidelina to her final resting place. Blessed and praised be His name!
We give thanks to God because He always fulfills His promises!
“La Iglesia Bautista de Sixaola accompanied the Chavarría family during this special time. God gave me the privilege of preparing the body so that it would not decompose during the hours it would take to have the viewing and burial. We thank God for what the life and death of our beloved sister represented and will continue to represent for the church, for her family and for the community.
As a missionary on innumerable occasions I have had the opportunity to accompany person who are going through different situations. Our spiritual and emotional strengths are touched, but God revitalizes them through these experiences.
Please accompany us in prayer and remember that as an organization we have begun our annual World Mission Offering campaign. Your financial contribution will make a difference so that our presence and yours may be in many parts of the world being supportive in different situations.
Rev. Ingrid Roldán-Román
International Ministries Missionary
Working in Panamá and Costa Rica