A Word from Tricia...
(Excerpt from Celebration Dinner Talk)
[This month we celebrated] Easter. Every year, as Good Friday makes its way into Saturday, I contemplate what that Saturday was like so many years ago. Everyone thought Jesus was dead, gone forever. The tragedy of Friday was overwhelming—they had seen and experienced so much pain. I don’t know about you, but I often feel that sense of overwhelming tragedy, especially when I see what’s happening in the world today. And I wonder, maybe like those first disciples did, if Sunday, or Jesus coming back, will ever happen. Those first disciples had no idea that Sunday was coming—but God has given us a hope that they didn’t have.
country, as families are torn apart, as they live in fear of missileshitting their homes. They shared their loneliness as sometimes they are the only pastors in the area trying to meet so many needs.
We were sitting in the tragedy on that zoom call. I was feeling more and more overwhelmed. How can we help? What can God do in this situation? And then one pastor spoke up. “And we also need to think about all the Russians living in our country who will remain after the war ends. How will we show them love?”
And then another pastor spoke up: “And what about all the Russian prisoners of war sitting in our prisons? They are hurting. How will we show them God’s healing?”
AND I GOT IT. As my heart was bowing down to God and I was thanking him for allowing me the honor of being with these dear people, I GOT IT—yet again.
We are sitting in tragedy. Every one of us—our own tragedies and hurts and pains. BUT THERE IS TRIUMPH—and the triumph is our ability to hope for the Sunday coming—for Jesus to truly rule in our hearts and bring us peace.
It’s not the triumph that the world tells us to wait for. In any country or community that has experienced pain, the triumph isn’t in the war ending or a peaceful government being back in power—although we all long for that and pray for that. These things will never fully happen in our lifetimes. The triumph is in the healing that God brings each of us. And the miracle is that this healing enables us to reach out to those around us—just like those pastors—to share God’s Word with them…to show kindness to them…and to maybe even forgive. And then, God works his healing in them. And then, they spread it to someone else. ...
(Inspiring Hope Celebration Dinner, FBC Garland, 13 April 2023)
Please pray...
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for Lauri as she coordinates the development of this important curriculum—for wisdom, for understanding, and for focus as she seeks the Spirit’s guidance.
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for the pastors and teachers who will be implementing the materials.
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for the Spirit to begin preparing the hearts of those who will hear, learn and share.
This past year was no different for me on Saturday. I woke up to a drizzly, cold, and altogether miserable Saturday morning this year. I thought to myself, “This fits.”
Do you ever wonder how we, as believers with so much hope and yet in a world with so much pain, can live in this tension of tragedy vs triumph? It’s like we sometimes feel like we live in that Saturday space. I feel that way often—every day—as I hear stories…from Multiplying Hope directors all over the world.
But this [year’s] Saturday morning, [my colleague] Lauri and I had a call with 23 Ukrainian Bible school teachers and pastors. They’ve asked us to develop a 1-year trauma healing curriculum for their Bible school, mainly because their president, who lives in Atlanta, has experienced the healing power of God through Multiplying Hope’s trainings. These Bible school teachers know that only God can help them in the months and years to come as their nation, their churches, their communities, and their children try to heal. They shared with us many things that they need to address in both their own lives, their churches, and their communities. They shared their hurts as people leave the
