Lizel is a thirty-five year old South African that I met in Hennenman during my first mission trip here in March. She is single, without children and her parents don’t live in town. She lives alone and my original plan included living with her for a year.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer after my last visit. She has already been through several weeks of chemotherapy. One of the most difficult things for me, in regards to not coming for the year, was not being here with her during her treatment, to help take care of her and be here to support her.
Due to her low energy, fatigue, nausea, and all the other side effects of chemo, she can hardly work. She teaches English online and doing one class a day is often pushing it for her. Thankfully, her family and friends have offered to help her financially during this difficult time.
Part of the reason I scheduled this trip was because I had asked her what all I could bring her, from head wraps to ginger supplements, things we have easy access to in the US that she may not here. I had all of these items for her but still hadn’t felt led to move forward with plans to come to South Africa. Hearing from her every few days, how sick she was, how much she was struggling, just broke my heart.
Her mom was able to travel back and forth to help her and to transport her to Johannesburg for her chemo treatments, which is a three-hour drive one way. When I arrived, she was in Johannesburg getting a chemo treatment and was worried she would be too sick to spend time with me.
Most of our visits consist of the both of us lying opposite to one another on a bed, talking about what’s been going on in our lives the past few months, reading the Bible together, discussing our interpretations and curiosities, singing worship music together and praying. It’s crazy how two people 8,492 miles apart can be experiencing similar struggles.
It makes me think of 1 Peter 5:7-11,
“Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your family of believers in the world.”
We have cried together, laughed together, and most importantly hoped and believed together, that God has good plans. Plans to prosper, not to harm, for hope and a future.
One night we were playing the song, “It is Well” by Bethel. As I closed my eyes singing with her to the lyrics, “So let go my soul and trust in Him, the waves and wind still know His name”, tears streamed down my face for my dear friend. How difficult it must be to trust in a time like this. Then the chorus repeated, “it is well with my soul (because of who You are Lord), it is well with my soul, It is well, it is well with my soul”.
The first time I sang it, it didn’t feel true. How could it be well, given her circumstances? But as I repeated and repeated saying it- the tears stopped. I felt peace. I remembered that our hope and trust isn’t in our circumstances but in our God and in Him we are well.
I shared this experience with her the next day and she said, “That’s the difference between believers and non-believers- all they have is their circumstances, but we have hope for eternal life.” She quoted 1 Corinthians 15:17-19,
“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”
Spending a day with her made me so much more aware of what her experience is like. She was frustrated with her forgetfulness, how we would be in town for an hour and then she’d need to go home and lie down. The energy for simple tasks isn’t there. At one point we were leaving her house and beet juice got on the counter. She said, “Uhh, just leave it.” As she walked out the front door, I went back and got a sponge and wiped the counter down. When I got outside she was standing there crying, reached out to me and hugged me. I asked her what was wrong and she said that she couldn’t even clean up beet juice and thanked me for cleaning it up.
That moment sticks out to me so much and wells up tears in my eyes. Not only for her current state but also how the simplest act of kindness can be so meaningful. You never know how you can touch another person- by seeing them in their pain, taking the time to be present with them and being loving. Even if it’s just wiping up beet juice.
We have prayed and believed for God’s healing over Lizel. I ask that you join me in continued prayers. Thank you.
