May 26, 2009

For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.
II Corinthians 1:5

Comfort my people

I will never forget the moment when a small, blind, and very frail Shantal (tribal) woman in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, wept with grief and love as Dr. Les Morgan informed her that his son, Everett, had passed away from a rare form of pelvic cancer in December 2008. Drs. Les and Cynthia Morgan returned to Bangladesh after a 19-month journey alongside their son, Everett, who fought hard, but succumbed to the disease at age 23. David and I were privileged to spend time with Les and Cindy as they discovered comfort and camaraderie from people in the slums of Dhaka, the villages near Rajshahi, and Christians throughout the Church of Bangladesh.

Women in Komlapur beamed with delight when Drs. Les and Cindy Morgan visited.

Les and Cindy have spent close to 20 years in Bangladesh, serving at Christian Mission Hospital and raising their family in Rajshahi, in addition to organizing and implementing community-based health programs in other parts of the country. They have an unshakeable commitment to working in partnership with the Church of Bangladesh. The moderator of the church, Bishop Baroi, told them in our presence how he had been praying for them to return to Bangladesh. I wish I could have recorded his words of love and profound gratitude for the relationships they have built over the years.

 Sue and Cindy leaving a village near Rajshahi.

“Dr. Cynthia,” as her patients call her, has received certification in spiritual direction through San Francisco Seminary and is also taking classes at Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta. She cares deeply for the whole person in her medical practice. Her gifts of love and attentiveness shined through every contact she made with people in Bangladesh.

Along with Les and Cindy, David and I enjoyed two Sabbath days together. We studied Scripture through lectio divina, attended services in Bangla and English, and shared each evening of the week the consolations and desolations of the day, according to the practice of St. Ignatius.

Women gravitated to Dr. Cynthia with their children, asking for advice and sharing their stories.

We visited the outgoing and incoming moderators of the Church of Bangladesh, the social service departments of the church, hospitals, sewing projects, vocational training centers, a seminary, other educational sites, and hostels. Traveling in Bangladesh with the Morgans, I was touched by their capacity to stop, notice, and attend to people who crossed our paths and incarnated Christ’s love. Former patients reached out to hold their hands, look into their eyes and share events in their lives. Tears of pain and joy mingled in those reunions.

Les talking to a group of people in the village.

While in Dhaka, Les and Cindy took us to a development project in the slum near the city’s shipyard. When we arrived, young girls presented dances and a skit about a pregnant woman dying without access to good medical treatment. After lunch we attended a weekly support group for girls. They were shy at first, but opened up to talk about harassment they experience walking to school or work and some of the ways the support group makes a difference. One of the girls had recently lost her mother, one of Les’ former patients.

We visited four people Les had previously treated in their homes. One woman had had a stroke, her husband had left her, and she could not speak. Les’ presence, touch, and prayer brought calm, as many people gathered inside and outside to watch us. Next we meandered down narrow passageways with dark clouds billowing overhead until we found a woman with five children suffering from a deteriorating heart valve. She can barely sleep at night without medication because of her shortness of breath and pain.

With a storm brewing, we moved back to the skiff that would take us across the waterway to the Church of Bangladesh headquarters.

We had the benefit of witnessing the fruits of the Morgan’s long ministry. Their commitment to the Church of Bangladesh and their willingness to honor that partnership over the long haul has been a strong witness of Christ’s love for all people. As they discern God’s call for future work there, please remember them in your prayers and give thanks to God for working through them.

Grateful to be your partner in Christ’s Mission,

The 2009 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 106