Friday, 22 August 2008

• Mandy's Story

  This is one of the hardest posts I've ever written. I'm sitting cross legged on the floor of my bedroom, still in funeral clothes, with tears streaming down my cheeks, which makes it rather hard to see the laptop screen at times. I hesitated whether I should tell this story. I had considered sharing it earlier, but I don't like to tell an unfinished story. Now this chapter is closed, I want to tell it for God's glory. And it is for His glory alone, for I really had nothing to do with it. I just happened to be there at the time, and am only telling what I have seen and heard. There are still more chapters to come, but being that they aren't finished yet, I can't share them. So if it seems that there are parts missing, just pray.

  God bless you all, and thank you again to those who walked this journey with me.

  

  To share how I got to know Mandy, I have to take you back to introduce you to her parents, Mike & Marg. I first met Mike almost five years ago, when I first started working. Mike was our postman, and would deliver the post each day. He continued to do this up until the end of last year. Mike would always, without fail, have a funny story or a joke to tell, some of these better than others. He usually came just before lunch, when I would be trying to get out of the office to go and eat, which isn't my most friendly time of the day.

  I first met Marg about two years ago, when Mike was unable to deliver our mail one day so I went down to pick it up. Marg worked in the general store/post office, and that day was rather distraught over whatever the reason was that Mike wasn't able to deliver the mail. She was in tears, so I did the only thing I could do. I gave her a hug, and listened to her story. From then on, I began to pick up the newspapers on my way to work each morning.

  Although both Mike & Marg grew up in the generation in which it was tradition to go to church each Sunday, neither of them were serving the Lord. Through his visits to my workplace, Mike began to enquire what made the school seem so peaceful, and through the encouragement of one of my work collegues, he & Marg participated in the Alpha Course, and began attending church with them.

  Each morning Marg would see me I'd be rushed because I would usually be running late for work. Still she'd come over and ask me to give her a hug, and pray for her, because there was "something special" about me, and she hoped it would rub off on her. I was all together inexperienced at witnessing, so had no idea what to say, since they were already involved in a church, although she admitted that owning the shop made it very difficult for them to attend on Sundays, or any day.

  For Christmas in 2006, they gave me a Christmas gift, so in return I gave them something small, as well as a CD to listen to. I also gave Marg a book, although she admitted that once she got home, she was usually too tired to read, but did enjoy listening to the sermon, as it was comforting. I didn't understand. It was supposed to be more than comforting. She was supposed to realise that it was the truth, and ask for more! I invited them to some of our Sunday evening services, but for some reason it never worked out for them to come.

  Mike & Marg sold their shop at the end of 2007, and I stopped picking up the newspapers. We kept in touch though, and I occassionally dropped around to see them. Things got busy, and I didn't see them at all for a few months. It wasn't until June that I went around to drop off some cookies when Marg greeted me at the door, all emotional again. She told me that their eldest daughter, Mandy, had just been diagnosed with cancer of the brain, spine, hips and lungs, and only had two weeks to live. She appologised, but said that she was in no place to receive visitors, so I couldn't come in. I hugged her, assured her it was ok, and promised to come back in a week or so.

  The next time I drove past, the gate was closed, which meant I couldn't visit. Then things were busy once again, with visitors staying, school holidays and camp, so it seemed difficult to go around. The Monday immediately after camp, 7th July, I decided that all our visitors could just wait a little longer for me to get home from work, and went to see them.

  Marg greeted me with a huge smile, and asked me to come in. Mandy had moved in with them, so Marg could nurse her for as long as she could. She let me see her, asleep on her hospital bed in the lounge room. At first I was a little scared, because I have never had much to do with terminal sickness, but all Marg's stories about what a wonderful person she was allayed my fears. She told me that she was so happy to have Mandy home, but it was so hard because she couldn't leave her alone for a moment, because she was afraid to die. I gripped Marg's hand, and said, "But she doesn't have to be!"

  Tears welled up in Marg's eyes, and she asked me if I was afraid to die. I said no, and shared with her very simply the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and told of His healing power. I was still a little afraid to share this with Mandy, as I wasn't sure if I could express it fully, and if my faith was strong enough to pray for cancer, so I asked Marg if Mandy would allow someone from the church to come and talk with her and pray for her. Marg replied that she wasn't sure how Mandy would respond to something "spiritual" but she would ask her and let me know.

  On Tuesday she let me know that Mandy was very interested, so could we please come on Wednesday to pray. Brother Conrad, Sister Estelle & I went around at 5:00 that evening, and Bro Conrad spoke with her about Jesus Christ, salvation, and healing. This was the first time I'd actually met Mandy, and she just accepted me as though she'd known me all her life. When we first arrived, she was so sleepy she could hardly keep her eyes open, but as Brother Conrad continued talking, she grew more and more alert until she was almost sitting up on her own.

  She accepted absoultely everything without question or reasoning, and Brother Conrad prayed for her and annointed her with oil. She then professed that she felt better already, and was soon going to be up peeling potatoes and washing windows. She promised that when God healed her, she would spend her life serving Him.

  Brother Conrad then put me on the spot by saying that I would drop around the next day, and as often as they wanted me to, to teach her more about God and being a Christian. I had no idea what I was going to do or say, but couldn't protest right in front of Mandy, so I just consented. We learnt about Mandy's crazy sense of humour, sharp wit, and even quicker toungue. Even when she was sick, she never let it get her down, instead always trying to make others feel happy. Brother Conrad then went back to the church to pray for an hour and a half before the service, while Sister Estelle & I went home to eat.

  I wasn't able to visit on Thursday, but on Friday I went to see her. I was still a little nervous, as I didn't know where to start or what to say, but Mandy let me know how much she'd been looking forward to having me visit, and soon had me laughing at some joke. We read the Bible for a little while, and then she told me how God had spoken to her and told her to give up smoking. When she first got sick, she figured that the damage was already done, so there was no point quitting then, but she said after Bro Conrad visitted, God told her it was foolish to keep destroying what was healed, and He was going to help her quit. As far as I know, she finished the box she had, and never smoked again.

  The next time I saw Mandy was on Tuesday. She was sleeping, so I left the Bible I bought for her, spoke breifly with Marg, and left. Work was back in full swing by this stage, so I was quite tired, when I called Marg to find out about going around again, I realised I had nothing to complain about. Marg asked me not to come until Friday, as she was going through quite a bit of pain. That was the Friday that I spent the day with Esther, so I came back to their place after dropping Ess off at the airport. Mandy had lots of questions, such as, "Can you explain Father, Son & Holy Ghost? That's never made sense to me. How can there be three gods?"

  She then said she didn't know much about the Bible, so could I come once a week to teach her and Marg about the Bible. We agreed to meet every Monday night after dinner, and they would read together every day, and write down any questions that they had. Mandy said, "Because you don't mind if I ask silly questions. What's the point of having lessons on something if you can't ask questions?"

  However, that was to be the last time I visted her at home. On Monday, Mandy went into paliative care at a nearby hospital. The pain had become too great for them to manage at home. My visits went from the intended one day a week, to almost every day, except for weekends. Some days we read. Some we talked. Some, Mandy was so sleepy from all the pain relief drugs that she just slept while I held her hand and prayed for her, with tears streaming down my face. And yet she never gave up her faith in Jesus Christ, or professing her healing.

  The first night I went to visit her, I read the Bible, and then she asked me if I thought God could ever accept her, because, "I've got some doozies."

  "Doozy what? Sin?" I asked. She closed her eyes and nodded. Conviction of sin is actually a glorious thing. I spoke to her of God's justice and love, and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. As she usually would, she said it was so simple, and all made sense. We prayed togehter, me first, and then I asked her to pray. She said, "To be honest, I don't think I know how to."

  "That's just it. Be honest. Talk to God like He's right here in the room," I said. She closed her eyes, and there holding my hand, she prayed her first prayer. It was precious. She prayed mostly for me, that God would bless me for what I was doing because it wasn't in vain. Right when you are feeling so small and inadequate, God has a way of letting you know He sees.

  Brother Conrad & Sister Estelle went to visit her not long after she was admitted. Bro Conrad encouraged her, answered her questions, and prayed for her. Mandy & Bro Conrad both told me this story afterwards, and I want to share it just because it's part of Mandy's story, not because I want people to recognise me. Bro Conrad asked her, "Do you want to be like Jesus?"

  Mandy replied, "What is He like? How can I want to be like Him if I don't know what He is like?"

  Brother Conrad then asked, "Then who do you want to be like?"

  Mandy answered, "Alysa. I want to be like Alysa."

  Brother Conrad said, "That's not her... that's Jesus."

  To think that someone who had known me for so little time could see Christ in me is overwhelming. Truly He is great.

  Later that night, Mandy told me that she wanted to be like me, because she wanted to be able to help others the way I was helping her. She said when she was well she wanted to visit others in hospitals, and tell them about God. "Brother Conrad said something about being a missionary, but I don't really know what that is. I figure if I could just start with one person..."

  Many times she was so sleepy that she'd drift right off to sleep in the middle of what she was saying, and her words would become all slurred. When I'd wake her and ask if she wanted to sleep, she'd insist that she wanted to talk, even though sometimes she couldn't remember what she had just been saying.

  She was always full of questions, sometimes over the most simple things. I realised, that even though I didn't think I knew very much, when you begin sharing with someone else who has so much less, you realise how much you really do have. At times it was almost frustrating, because I wanted to give her so much, but only managed to squeeze in a sentance or two before she fell asleep. I felt like I was feeding her with an eye-dropper, while we were sitting in the middle of a huge, glorious feast.

  Everything was so new to her, and the simplicity with which she accepted everything was so beautiful. Often she wasn't sure how to put things in to words, and would come up with some really cute statements. One day, she was quite down, and I asked her how things where. You had to ask specifically, or she would just tell you that everything was well. She had been in quite a bit of pain, and they took her for more x-rays. "But you know, through it all, even though it was painful, I told myself it doesn't matter, because I am healed. Conrad said I am healed."

  "God said you are healed," I interjected quietly.

  "Yeah, God did, but through Conrad, because Conrad is like God's messenger-stick," she answered.

  Even when her other family members didn't understand, she kept a possitive profession. She tried to explain it to her husband one day, "There comes a time in life that you realise that everything you thought was important actually isn't. And everything that you thought wasn't important... really is."

  

  Mandy celebrated her 47th birthday on Thursday, 31st July. She had all the family members that a little hospital room could hold, and even more cake. Gifts, flowers, balloons... she wanted it to be happy. She wanted enough cake for all the nurses and other patients. She even wanted me to be there. I wasn't going to go that night, thinking she would have all the family over and didn't want to intrude. But she insisted, and her husband also told me that she would want me there. It was a really special night. Mandy was the life of the party, cracking so many jokes and making sure everyone felt at home.

  When I went to see Mandy on the following Monday, she was so awake and alert, more so than I had ever seen her. She looked so well, and she assured me it was because she was healed. She was actually able to talk without falling asleep, and that night, we read not just a few verses, but three whole chapters. She initially actually asked me to explain the book of Revelation to her. I did a quick summary, explaining who John was, what the Isle of Patmos was, what a vision was, and what he had seen. I told her how the prophet had opened it all and made it plain, but there were quite a few sermons on it, and it was quite deep.

  She then wanted me to go to the start of the Bible, and read Genesis. We read Genesis chapter 1, chapter 2... and then she asked, "Why did God forgive Eve for eating that special fruit or whatever it was?"

  I replied, "That's Genesis chapter 3..."

  "Well come on then... read it!"

  So I read Genesis 3, which she also wanted me to explain. "Otherwise it's no better than the Catholic church. They never explained anything!"

  There are alot of wonderful truths in Genesis 3, such as the plan of salvation, and I tried to bring out what I could. After this, she was rather tired, so we stopped there.

  As I was leaving, I asked if she wanted me to visit on the morrow. She replied, "No, if it's ok, I'll call you. Maybe we can catch up for coffee when I get back to Mum's."

  She never called.

  She went home on Friday, 15th August. Her husband was by her side, and assures me that she went peacefully. "She closed her eyes... took two breaths... and she was gone."

  I never knew it was possible to love someone so much in such a short space of time. She taught me so much, and there is so much more I could add to this story, but somethings I will keep rather than tell. I thank God for the privledge of getting to know her, and share with her what I could. She was one beautiful person, who never took anything for herself, but always gave everything she could.

  It makes me cry all over again to think that I shall never more in this life hold her hand and share with her the beautiful simple truths of the Gospel. That I'll never more hear her pray, or answer her questions. I'm going to miss her smile, and her super fast humour. But I know that the same faith that she fell asleep with, she shall rise with. That she took and understood all that she could, believed all that was given her, and made the most of her opportunity.

  One time in hospital, I was joking with her, and commented about how she was so quick witted. She replied, "You haven't seen me in full strength yet. Just wait till I'm better..."

  I smiled and said, "I can't wait."

  I still can't wait. It won't be long now.

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