February 2001, Part 2

Hello! I greet all of you in Christ’s name!

In my ministry I not only help the children but also the staff who work with them, since these dedicated Croatians work hard for many hours with very low pay. Their labor is truly one of love. To do their job well, which they do, you must invest so much of your physical, mental, and emotional energy. I could indeed empathize with them since I myself have been in this role for many years now. Therefore, I provided them with some helpful insights as they struggle with how to help children (and their families) face some of life’s most challenging and tragic events. It is truly a special vocation from the Lord to help these children cope with the adversities they face. The most difficult aspect of the work is working with children who are in the final stages of a terminal illness and helping their families to cope with this. This is why I am pleased to offer support and assistance to these special Croatian hospital staff, to provide a listening ear and caring heart. By helping them I am also helping the children and their families.

Saturday was a lovely day in Zagreb, and I used it to relax and enjoy a bit of solitude. I walked around the National Botanical gardens, another large park and a long wooded path that ascends one of the hills overlooking the city. Later I ate some wonderful ice cream, I mean truly, sinfully delicious! As I enjoyed these simple, yet beautiful pleasures of life I had plenty of time to reflect on all that God gives us. My, how we can so easily and quickly forget to thank Him for the countless things with which He blesses us! For our senses…and the perfumed flowers to smell, the crimson and golden autumn leaves to see, the sweet birdsong to hear, the creamy ice cream to taste, and a child’s soft hand to touch.

I saw a man playing with his dog in the park. Faithfully, his companion retrieved over and over the stick he threw…. Thank you Lord for the animals you give us to accompany us during times of both sadness and joy. I saw a woman pushing a baby in a stroller down the street past a vendor selling balloons and the babe gazed up at them and smiled—his eyes twinkled with delight…. Thank you Lord for letting children experience such pleasures and for giving us the chance to witness this joy.

Later that day I was going home on the train and conversing with a man about his family. He told me that his brother has been in America for nearly 40 years and he has not seen him since. Although he was proud of his brother’s accomplishments, his voice betrayed the sadness he felt for enduring such a family separation…. Thank you Lord for our families and for the opportunities we have to be with them. Let us not take for granted their preciousness.

Finally, as the train was nearing Osijek, "Amazing Grace" came over the radio. Now this was highly unusual, as the train radio usually plays secular pop music. The female voice was long, slow, and sincere, the melody familiarly inspirational, yet as new as reading Scripture is each time we read it. All of the sudden I was overwhelmed, all my experiences and thoughts of the past several days flashed through my mind and a lump was in my throat. What a perfect song to put into words what I was feeling…. God, you are so gracious. You alone have blessed us so much. Thank you for opening our eyes and reminding us of how wonderful you are, that your mercy and love endures forever, that you truly care, and that you can empathize with our sufferings as you yourself suffered on the cross for our sakes. Thank you for our health, for our wealth, for our talents. Thank you for giving us ministry opportunities, for giving us supportive friends, for everything, seen and unseen, for that which we realize we should give thanks for and for that which we do not even realize you are providing us. It is by your grace we live now and by your grace we shall have eternal life.

You are all in my prayers and I wish the best of all God’s blessings for you and yours! Once again I express my sincerest thanks for supporting me in this ministry!

Your brother in Christ,

Brett McMichael

The 2001 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 79