Mother’s Resourcefulness

By -
As the world celebrates Mother’s Day, a day worth to celebrate, I want to emphasize a trait proper to mothers, most of the time overlooked. I saw it in my mother and my wife as she raised our three daughters, but it was first brought to my attention in a time of disaster.

I remember a great storm that brought flood, land sliding, and destruction to Rio de Janeiro in the middle 1960’s. Many families lost homes and everything they had, escaping only with the clothes they happen to wore at the time.

Relief in form of medical help, clothing and food came from everywhere. My mom and my sisters volunteered with the relief effort at the Maracanã stadium and I tagged along helping anywhere a ten year old was allowed to help.

From a big pile of shoes tied together in pair being sorted out to go to another location I saw a child tennis shoe without its pair. I wanted to put it aside, but the person in charge of the told to let it go saying: “A mother will take care of it.” I threw the tennis shoe in the pile and not long after the other tennis shoe showed up.

As ten year old what impressed me was not that the other tennis shoe showed up, but that among other things mothers are resourceful. That day resourcefulness was added to the long list of traits mothers have.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Best Friend

By -
Image
One of the attributes of friendship is that it transcends time and space. Friends may be apart half way around the world, but the instant they get together it is like time and space never existed. This is not different with my friend Benoni and I. We became friends at seventeen and for a decade participate in the most memorable events of each other lives. This time in Rio we had the opportunity to catch up again. 
Read more

Jesus Film

By -
Image
Cheesmanburg is about 50 minute’s drive from the port of Monrovia where the Africa Mercy is docked. Five of us began the 26 kilometers journey short after diner; two Liberian pastors joined the group on the way, which made 7 people on the Land Rover plus the equipment to show the film Jesus. When Ananda Samaraweera told me he was going out with the film Jesus I immediately asked if I could come along. Ananda and I go way back when he joined the Good Samaritan as an engineer. He attended the Good Sam Discipleship Training School in Brazil and was baptized on the Amazon River . It was on the Good Sam that Ananda got involved with the film Jesus and the passion of sharing the message of Jesus’ life to others. When I woke up Saturday morning, I had no doubt we were in the raining season. It poured rain all day long, however late afternoon there was a break; the clouds were still there, and time to time letting down a sprinkle or two, but the heavy rain was gone. The ...
Read more

Forty Years With Mercy Ships

By -
Image
  Today marks a milestone in my career. Forty years ago, on July 2, 1983, I joined the Organization #MercyShips. Back then, the dream to bring hope and healing to the forgotten poor was mainly work, a lot of hard work. But as my parents used to tell me, work doesn’t kill anyone; I’m here to say that they were right. In those forty years, I sailed the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Visited three continents and ministered in 42 countries. Countless volunteers from around the world worked without ceasing on the first Mercy Ships, the Anastasis, and the other ships that followed her, the Good Samaritan, the Pacific Ruby, the Caribbean Mercy, the #AfricaMercy, and now our newest ship, the #GlobalMercy. #Mercy Ships has delivered services to more than 2.86 million beneficiaries during this time. Provided services and materials in developing countries valued at over $1.77 billion, including the following: Performed more than 108,000 life-changing or life-saving surgical procedu...
Read more