Here's Pastor Dave McDowell's weekly devotional that he sends out to members of his church. Dave is my brother and serves as the Music Minister at Stewartstown UMC in PA.
Some say that no news is good news.
I say no to that.
The call came in the middle of the day.
It was mid-March
I wasn't home at the time,
so the message went to voice mail.
It was from the organization that I participate with
to sponsor a child.
My sponsored child, Jean Bernard,
lives in Haiti,
or at least I hoped he still lived in Haiti.
On January 12, 2010
a massive earthquake struck the poorest nation
in the western hemisphere.
The results were (and still are) catastrophic.
As I heard the news,
my first thoughts went to Jean Bernard...
Is he still alive?
Weeks went by,
the news from Haiti
appeared to get worse,
as a nation that had nothing to begin with,
struggled to survive
when even the the nothing was taken away from them.
When I retrieved the voice mail,
my heart raced
when I heard it was from the sponsoring organization,
I knew it must be about Jean Bernard.
It was an automated call,
very expected since they had thousands of children
to account for following the earthquake.
Mr. McDowell,
you are Jean Bernard's sponsor.
We want to inform you that.....
The worst possible thing happened at that moment.
No, I wasn't informed that he was dead.
No, the message became unintelligible.
I couldn't make out the last part of the sentence.
The worst possible thing isn't receiving bad news,
it is receiving no news at all.
Weeks continued to roll by.
I sent in an additional check for a birthday
that Jean Bernard might never celebrate.
A previous sponsored child of mine in Africa
had died from the measles,,,,,,
measles!
I remember the empty feeling at that time
when a child that I had never met, but loved,
died of a disease
that in America,
is merely a week off of school.
It was that child's death
that led me to the sponsorship of Jean Bernard.
And now,
the earthquake.
Last week
I received a letter from Jean Bernard.
I usually receive a letter every three months.
The earthquake only caused me to miss one of his letters.
He told me that God has blessed him,
he only suffered a broken arm,
but an aunt and a uncle had died.
His school was badly damaged,
but his church was still standing.
Each week he continues to go to Sunday School
and mid-week programs,
where he learns of God's love.
He said that he prays for my family
and that he hopes that I can visit him some day.
I hope that day comes soon.
I want, no I need to meet this young man
who in the midst of a catastrophic disaster,
can testify to love and faithfulness of God.
Some say no news is good news.
I say no.
The good news is that there is eternal good news
in the person of Jesus Christ.
And no earthquake
can shake that news away.
Happy Birthday Jean Bernard!
How lovely on the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news.,
who announces peace
and brings good news of happiness,
who announces salvation,
and says to God's people,
"Your God reigns!"
Some say that no news is good news.
I say no to that.
The call came in the middle of the day.
It was mid-March
I wasn't home at the time,
so the message went to voice mail.
It was from the organization that I participate with
to sponsor a child.
My sponsored child, Jean Bernard,
lives in Haiti,
or at least I hoped he still lived in Haiti.
On January 12, 2010
a massive earthquake struck the poorest nation
in the western hemisphere.
The results were (and still are) catastrophic.
As I heard the news,
my first thoughts went to Jean Bernard...
Is he still alive?
Weeks went by,
the news from Haiti
appeared to get worse,
as a nation that had nothing to begin with,
struggled to survive
when even the the nothing was taken away from them.
When I retrieved the voice mail,
my heart raced
when I heard it was from the sponsoring organization,
I knew it must be about Jean Bernard.
It was an automated call,
very expected since they had thousands of children
to account for following the earthquake.
Mr. McDowell,
you are Jean Bernard's sponsor.
We want to inform you that.....
The worst possible thing happened at that moment.
No, I wasn't informed that he was dead.
No, the message became unintelligible.
I couldn't make out the last part of the sentence.
The worst possible thing isn't receiving bad news,
it is receiving no news at all.
Weeks continued to roll by.
I sent in an additional check for a birthday
that Jean Bernard might never celebrate.
A previous sponsored child of mine in Africa
had died from the measles,,,,,,
measles!
I remember the empty feeling at that time
when a child that I had never met, but loved,
died of a disease
that in America,
is merely a week off of school.
It was that child's death
that led me to the sponsorship of Jean Bernard.
And now,
the earthquake.
Last week
I received a letter from Jean Bernard.
I usually receive a letter every three months.
The earthquake only caused me to miss one of his letters.
He told me that God has blessed him,
he only suffered a broken arm,
but an aunt and a uncle had died.
His school was badly damaged,
but his church was still standing.
Each week he continues to go to Sunday School
and mid-week programs,
where he learns of God's love.
He said that he prays for my family
and that he hopes that I can visit him some day.
I hope that day comes soon.
I want, no I need to meet this young man
who in the midst of a catastrophic disaster,
can testify to love and faithfulness of God.
Some say no news is good news.
I say no.
The good news is that there is eternal good news
in the person of Jesus Christ.
And no earthquake
can shake that news away.
Happy Birthday Jean Bernard!
How lovely on the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news.,
who announces peace
and brings good news of happiness,
who announces salvation,
and says to God's people,
"Your God reigns!"
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