June Update

I am trying to remember what life was like before 3:00 AM on June 21^st. I remember Manuel and Josué were working hard in their studies and completed their finals week at the beginning of June. I remember that Marvin finished a few welding projects. I remember that Joanna was rolling to get to her brother’s toys and that Thomas was happy to share them with her. I remember that I was struggling off and on with contentment and trusting the Lord. I remember going to the funeral of the little 2 year old girl from our church and wondering how her sweet family would be able to move on after such tragic loss. I remember the morning that Marvin and I took off with Thomas and Joanna to have a night in Puerto Cortes, and I remember leaving Manuel and Josué to focus on a big school project about universities outside of Honduras. I remember our sweet but short visit to Puerto Cortes. I remember seeing 3 of Marvin’s sisters and other friends from Worldwide Heart to Heart Ministries. But what I remember most is the phone call that Marvin received at 3:00 AM on June 21^st.

He was told that his sister Amavilia was admitted to the hospital. She was not doing well. Marvin left quick and made it to Puerto Cortes to briefly see his sister before she was taken out of the ER and into the ICU. She was in the ICU until July 1^st. Then she was in a regular hospital room until July 4^th when she went to be with the Lord. During the 2 weeks of illness, we were able to visit on the weekends and have more time with Marvin’s family. The details of her illness are complicated and not worth sharing here, but the details of who she was certainly are. Amavilia was loving, kind, hard-working, multi-talented, and had a great laugh to go with her beautiful smile. We loved her so much and will always miss her. We pray for God’s comfort for Marvin, Josué, and the rest of her family.

(Captions below pictures explain relationship to Amavilia)

Sister Susana, sister Wendy, Joanna

Father Orlando and Thomas

Father Orlando, Manuel, sister Wendy, Thomas, Marvin, Josue

Thomas, brother Yankel

Joanna, sister Estefani, sister Leydi, brother Yankel

Thomas, Karen, Marvin, Mother Maria, Joanna

Josue, Thomas, sister Wendy, sister Susana, Oscar (Heart to Heart), Joanna

Sister Telma, sister Susana, grandmother Marta, Joanna

Marvin's grandmother Marta and mother Maria

This scripture has encouraged me as I struggle with Amavilia’s death and the reality that anything, anyone could be gone at anytime.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort, and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.” – 2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Compassion, comfort, salvation, patient endurance, hope. Thank you Lord for providing these things amidst the distress and suffering.

“I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.” – Psalm 57:9-11

Amavilia with Joanna November 2016

Amavilia and Josue November 2016

Amavilia, sister Telma, brother Erlin, Marvin, 1992

sister Wendy, sister Susana, Thomas, Amavilia, Karen, Marvin October 2014