February 14, 2008

Strengthened in the Testing

Read: Philippians 4:11-13, Isaiah 40:28-31

I was born into a loving Christian family in Minneapolis, and we were all very active in Hennepin Avenue Methodist Church. I was surrounded by Christian believers who lived their Faith every day (one of whom was Betty Scherer), and they had a great influence on my life.

I continued my walk of Faith when I attended Northwestern University and met and married Pieter. We moved to Grosse Pointe in 1966 and joined Grosse Pointe United Methodist Church in 1967. Here, again, we were warmly welcomed and found ourselves surrounded by people with strong Faith who were dedicated to serving the church. We both became active. Pieter chaired and served on many church committees and taught senior high Sunday school. I taught first grade for 17 years and joined the United Methodist Women where I met many supportive women. We both were counselors for the senior high United Methodist Youth Fellowship (two of our “kids” were Heidi and Charlie Van Becelaere), and we served for five years.

Pieter was diagnosed with M.S. In 1981 and while he took the news valiantly, I had a real struggle with what I knew were the consequences of this disease. I thought that the path that lay ahead of us looked very dark. How would we manage, and would I be able to care for Pieter at home?

That was the beginning of God's testing my Faith. As Pieter's condition worsened and he lost the use of his legs, his ability to speak, and finally total paralysis, I learned that I needed to rely on God. I prayed for strength and the Holy Spirit answered me. The message came through loud and clear. You will manage one day at a time. Today you will have just enough strength for this day and tomorrow your strength will be renewed. And that is exactly what happened.

Our church family blessed us with their support. Prayers were offered, visits were made, readers came to read to Pieter, a physical therapist donated his services to help keep Pieter's limbs from atrophying, nurses volunteered their time and a stair glide and handicap van were given to us. For 20 years, the people of this church prayed for us, nurtured and cared for us and loved us and that made all the difference in our lives. My Faith has become so much stronger because of what I have experienced and because of the support of this church family.

Grosse Pointe United Methodist Church means everything to me and I shall continue to “Uphold it by my prayers, my presence, my gifts, and my service,” as long as I am able.

Priscilla van Horne