Friends are friends forever!

Let me introduce you to my friend Diana. I don’t remember the first time I met Diana, but I do recall very vividly the times we have been together. She is married and has two daughters. One is a teenager and the other is 8 years old. She has two sisters and a brother, her mother lives with her, and they all attend one of the sector churches.

Diana is a very outgoing lady, who loves to cook and entertain, and the love of Jesus radiates in her countenance. The first time we visited her church, we were there to observe the AWANA program which is held after the morning church service. She called us into the kitchen and there before us was a table set with a lace tablecloth, sandwiches and juice. She had run out to the store to purchase the items to provide us with a comfortable lunch. Now Diana knows absolutely no English. But she talked to me in Spanish as if I was her long lost friend. We got along just fine. I noticed she a wore a scarf around her head and assumed she had dealt with the ugly disease of cancer. Later my assumption was confirmed. This particular Sunday, I was wearing a brown cotton jacket and she noticed that the ring on her finger (made of beads!) complimented my outfit. She took it off, and asked me to accept it as a gift from her with the hopes that I would not forget her! What a privilege to accept her ring and wear it proudly.

On another occasion we walked into the home of a friend for a birthday party, and there was Diana! Upon arrival, she greeted both Don and I as her long lost friends, although it was just the beginning of a beautiful friendship. We played the parlor games that they often play at these family festivities, and laughed together. Seeing Diana at a church service or function a couple of more times just increased our enjoyment of one another’s company. Her daughter’s eighth birthday party was at her home and she invited us to join the family in the celebration. It was so much fun.

Diana has six family members who are all involved in the AWANA club at their church. We have built a relationship with them through working in the program since July. They are servants of the Lord and serve others in their local church. They are a true testimony of a family committed to Christ.

One day we were in Metro (the local department store similar to WalMart) and Diana saw us and came over and bear hugged Don and me. She and her husband wouldn’t let us go until we promised to come and visit them at the church again! We were invited to a special AWANA program and she treated us like guests, and made sure we were well taken care of. On another occasion when we were at the AWANA club, she wanted all the children who come to AWANA to receive a special surprise for Christmas and personally purchased the traditional Christmas cupcake for each child and a small gift. There are about 45 children and a dozen club leaders who knew they were loved and appreciated by this special lady. She makes it her mission to reach out to others and let Jesus’ love shine through her.

One day I received a phone call that Diana was not feeling well and went back to the doctor and it was discovered that she had a lump in her neck and one in her abdomen. After testing, the diagnosis was confirmed that the cancer had returned. They operated on her abdomen and the report was that the pancreas was involved. This was not the news the family wanted to hear. Diana was home again, in pain, but with a strong desire to kick this disease.

The AWANA Rally was coming up in the next couple of weeks. She wanted to prepare chicken sandwiches for sale to help with the fundraising for AWANA. We insisted she rest and next time we would accept her offer to help. She would not hear of it. And, sure enough she showed up that day with dozens of sandwiches and Inka cola for sale!

It was soon after the January 30th event that she entered the hospital and the doctors feared the cancer was spreading very quickly. She was failing daily. Her family was praying for her daily. The hospital staff said that she was singing and sharing with the other patients and staff and kept them all hopeful as they each faced their life-changing circumstances there in the hospital. What a testimony! The joy of the Lord is her strength! And, she is content in her circumstances and still praising the Lord for what He has done.

Her sister visited us recently and shared that the doctors had said she had 1-5 days to live. She cried and we prayed. However, she refused to accept the doctors’ prognosis and said only God would determine the number of days He chose to allow Diana to remain with us. That was about 3 weeks ago. Her family returned to visit one evening and brought a video of Diana to share with us. They took pictures of us to take to the hospital for her to see. The other night we received a phone call that she is home from the hospital. I did not fully understand the explanation why, but I assured her that friends from the United States were praying for her and her family and the medical staff, because I had 18 responses to my request for prayer on FaceBook. I was able to tell her I loved her, was praying for her, and missed seeing her. She had practiced enough English with the help of her sister to tell me she loved me, too!

As her sister said, we do not know the number of days we will have Diana with us. She is not well. What we do know is that we will spend an eternity with a healthy Diana one day! We will sing together and will understand each other in a way that we never thought possible. I can hardly wait!

This family has ministered to Don and me. We have felt the Lord’s presence every time we are with them. There is an excitement in their family that He Lives! They are at the church every time the doors open and work and have fun in the Lord’s house, with the family of God. They celebrate everything and take pictures constantly. They love one another and those they meet. They trust the Lord and have faith that His plan will be known in His time. We really enjoy our time with this family, laugh a lot, and come away feeling blessed to be their friends. They love music and dancing. Being around this family reminds me that music and love are the universal languages. When we are together, we exchange words of encouragement, understanding, and love in a foreign language. Why? Because we are family -- brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Thank you Lord for bringing the paths of our individual lives to a place where we have begun to walk this part of the journey together.