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"Till
Death Us Do Part"—John
"When thou passest
through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they
shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt
not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee,
For I am the Lord thy
God..."
Isaiah 43:2, 3
John, Lynn and Sarah were allowed to live in the large parsonage next
door to Lynn's home church in London, England. This was a wonderful
provision of the Lord through her church family. Lynn's parents lived
only a few miles away and it was such a blessing to be able to visit so
frequently. The Lord provided them with some used furniture, various
kitchen items, as well as an old, used car.
For the first few months back home, life for John and Lynn comprised
mainly of trips back and forth to the London Hospital, where Lynn had a
long series of radiation therapy. This was followed by weeks of
chemotherapy. Radiation therapy made her weak. Chemo made her very
sick and soon her hair fell out. The Lord provided her with a wig.
Sarah turned four and attended a local pre-school. She looked very
sweet in her little grey uniform with white blouse and white socks.
For John, the hardest burden to bear, besides having a very sick wife,
was not being able to return to the mission field. At times, he could
"almost taste" not going back to Indonesia. Tears of frustration would
sometimes fill his eyes. Several people advised him "Don't lose your
visa. Visas to Indonesia are very difficult to get." This only added
to the pressure of not returning to Indonesia. However, most of their
friends and family gently told him, "You need to think of Lynn and
Sarah. Don't worry about not being able to go back to Indonesia.
God is in control and He will take care of you and your family."
Several months after returning to England, a letter arrived from Linda
Christensen, postmarked Chicago, USA. The first paragraph said it all.
Tom had suddenly died in Venezuela of an aortic aneurysm. Linda and
Timmy were back in the USA. John and Lynn cried tears of sorrow at this
sad news. Lord, why? Why Tom and Linda? Another family had been
suddenly taken off the mission field and there was so much more work to
be done.
After two years of fighting breast cancer, Lynn's earthly fight was
nearly over. Cancer had spread to her lungs. Her constant coughing
became worse, even to the place where she actually cracked several
ribs. More chemo followed. Her last days on earth were spent in the
hospital, as she became weaker and weaker and her cough persisted. On
her final day, John kissed her goodbye. She was, oh so tired and could
hardly respond beyond a faint smile before slowly closing her eyes.
The following morning around 6:00 am, the telephone rang.
A nurse was on the line. Lynn had passed away and they wanted John
to come to the hospital later that day to pick up her belongings.
John asked the nurse why they had not called him sooner. The nurse
shared with him that Lynn had told her to let him sleep—that he would
need the rest. A little later that morning, John told little
Sarah, as she sat quietly on his lap, that her Mommy had gone Home to be
with Jesus...
Lynn's funeral service was a time of sadness as well as a time of much
joy. Her casket was slowly carried to the front of the church on the
shoulders of men from her church family who had had a special part in
her life, ever since she had first trusted in Jesus as her Savior, as a
teenager. The old hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul" was chosen by
John for its words that expressed the blessed peace that we have as
believers in Jesus.
When peace, like a
river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea
billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou
hast taught me to say,
It is well; it is well
with my soul.
Lynn was just 33 years old when she went Home to be with her Savior.
Continue...
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