Tag Archives: dead

Goodbye Dear Friend!

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On Sunday (my first Sunday back from my trip to Tallinn, Berlin, and Moscow) Jerry, the head of the church’s missions organization, made an announcement at church that my friend, Francesca, is dying of cancer.  It had apparently been in her body for many years.  He smiled and said that Francesca told him: “I don’t think I’m going to make it to church this week.”  Her last words to the church were: “Tell them that God is good.”

When I asked about her after church Jerry told me not to try and go see her because she’s not really able to communicate, being truly at the end of her life, and not conscious very much at all.  Well, I thought, that may be true, but I want to go to her anyway.

Francesca is very dear to me.  She is the very first missionary I encouraged in my ministry of missionary encouragement—before I even knew that this was my ministry.  Francesca heard the Good News of Jesus Christ about 8 years ago, and responded immediately by going on short-term mission trips, eventually being called to long-term ministry starting orphanages in Cambodia.  She spent the rest of her life in Cambodia sharing the love of Jesus with His little ones.

Two years ago (when she was 70), Francesca told me that God had told her that when she turns 72 He would bring her back home.  So with the end of her ministry approaching, the focus of her visits home (here in Milan) became a search for someone younger who could take over the ministry.  She wanted the transition to be smooth, and did everything she could to make that happen.  Neither she nor I had any idea that the home He was talking about would be her forever home.  But that’s probably just as well.

When she returned to Milan at the end of the summer she admitted to me that she was beginning to feel her age.  She said that she was sleeping a lot, and that perhaps she just needed to catch up on her sleep.  But she continued to weaken, and began to seek medical help.  The last time I saw her was in church just before my trip.  She looked very thin and pale, but as always, she had a smile on her face.

So when I heard about her on Sunday, I knew that I had to go see her, so I found out where she was.  Yesterday morning was my first opportunity, and I went to the hospital.  The doctors very gently told me that she had died Sunday night.  They said that she was in the hospital morgue, and said that I could go visit her there.

Now, I am not a morbid person by any means, but as I was leaving the hospital, I thought that maybe I should go visit her in the morgue.  There might be family members there who I could sympathize with.  So I followed the signs down to a basement hall with several small rooms.   There was no one there.  A sign on the wall said: “Brief visits only, please.”

I found Francesca’s name on one of the doors and entered.  There was no one there with her.  Her body was laid out on a gurney, covered in a sheet.  They had tied a cloth around her head to keep her mouth shut, but had not closed her eyes.  I came closer, knowing that what I was seeing was not Francesca, but the cocoon from which she has emerged like a glorious butterfly.

I told her:  “I love you, Francesca!  Please give Jesus a big hug for me!”  Then I thanked God for her life, and that she has life in abundance.  And you might think that this is fanciful imagination on my part, but I saw a certain glimmer of light in her eyes for just a brief moment.  I know that she heard me.

As I was leaving the hospital, I imagined Francesca meeting my dad, and telling him all about my life in Italy, and my ministry to her and to other missionaries.  He would love that!  Daddy always loved real-life adventure stories, and I know that he would have loved all my European adventures.  Just think of the friendships in Heaven that were never possible here on Earth!  I can almost hear the two of them laughing together.

You’re right, Francesca, God is good!  I will keep telling people that for you!  God is good!

Touching the Hem of His Garment

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I had an interesting conversation with God one night recently.  It was after attending a Charismatic Catholic cell group.  Even though they are charismatic (filled with the Holy Spirit), they still go to places like Lourdes, France to seek healing.  They also pray the Rosary—which is to the Virgin Mary (though they say that they don’t worship her as some do), and they still venerate the saints (though I don’t think they pray to them).

Many evangelical Christians, knowing that the Catholic Church is Babylon the Great from Revelations, believe that we should be evangelizing Catholics.  I also believe that the Catholic Church is Babylon the Great, but there are born-again, spirit-filled Christian believers in the Catholic Church.  Some who were born again in the Catholic Church left immediately, but some have stayed.  One friend told me that she feels called to be light and salt in the Catholic Church.  Because of these Catholic believers, I think that evangelicals need to have more respect and understanding for Catholics.  After all, if they came to a genuine faith in the Catholic Church, then there is clearly some power even in a watered-down Gospel.

God had clearly placed me into this Catholic cell group.  And they clearly do have the in-filling of the Holy Spirit.  But I was troubled because they do believe in things that I consider superstition.  So here was my brief conversation with God:

Why these believers still do these superstitious things?  They know that they can go directly to You in prayer, right?

Of course they do.  But you’ve noticed that I answer their prayers through these things.

I see that, but I don’t understand.

They are touching the hem of My garment in faith.  I honor any true show of faith.  Remember when I healed you of stomach ulcers?  You touched the radio while the preacher prayed.  Is that really any different?

I think it’s a fine line because I believe that the appearances of the Virgin Mary are not genuine.  The Bible is very clear about the worship of fellow creatures, whether they be angels or humans: it is forbidden.  Yet this apparition accepts worship.  I’ve noticed from my personal encounters with spirit beings that whenever it’s an angel sent from God, the encounter is always pleasant, both physically and emotionally.  But when it’s a demonic encounter, it is unpleasant (dizziness, faintness, sick feeling in the stomach, shakiness, and usually a feeling of terror or dread).  The people I spoken with have all confirmed that “Mary” sightings are always of the unpleasant variety.

The Bible is also very clear about the dead returning to earth—it doesn’t happen.  The only instance in which it has ever happened is in I Samuel 28.  Notice the witch’s reaction when the real Samuel appears—she wasn’t expecting him at all, but her familiar spirit (a demon), masquerading as Samuel.

And, finally, the Bible is very clear about the Catholic Church’s end: it’s not going to end well.  But first God will call His people out of the Catholic Church.  In its present state, the Catholic Church is still preaching the Gospel, though it is watered-down.  But once the antichrist comes on the scene, he will inspire the Catholic Church to embrace a more “universal” religion.  I think that when that happens, the believers in the Church will leave it.

So, I believe that we should share the Gospel with Catholics (because we can’t assume that all of them have really heard and understood the Gospel message); but I also believe that we should leave it to God whether they should stay in the Church or come out of it.