People Along the Path

     One of the great blessings of walking with the Lord re the fellow travelers we meet along this  path.  I love to hear the testimonies of people who are serving God with their lives.  This week my friend Dennis McCutcheon from Asheville came by the office with a couple of friends of his, Susan and Ron Naish.  Dennis heads a ministry called Mediquip, and they repair and maintain medical equipment in mission field hospitals.  Susan and Ron head a ministry called International Christian Hospice which serves people who are dying and their families.  Susan and Ron have raised their children, and have now entered ministry full time.  Susan is a nurse and Ron is a businessman, and together they wanted to use the rest of their lives to serve God. 

    Susan and Ron described how by working with the dying patient, they are able to share the Gospel at this critical moment with the patient, and with the family of the patient.   They have found that their ministry allows them to reach people who would otherwise be closed to hearing the Gospel, and they have seen many people accept Christ through their ministry.  They train local pastors in third world countries to serve the dying, and they have found that God is using this ministry to touch many lives.  They told me that many of the pastors they train had felt helpless when they encountered people who were dying, and would often avoid or minimize contact with the family until the person had passed away. 

     In the United States, much of the hospice work includes trying to make the dying person as comfortable as possible through the use of  pain dulling medications.  Often these treatments are not available in other countries; Ron and Susan work on the assumption that the most important thing they can do for the dying person is to help them encounter Jesus Christ.  It was a blessing to get to hear about their work and to spend some time with them. 

     Dennis and Mediquip are doing one of those thankless, non-dramatic, but absolutely essential mission services.   He fixes things that are broken.  He told of a mission doctor in Central America who had paid a large amount of money to a repair person to fix a piece of lab equipment, only to be told it was beyond repair (but no refund was given.)  Dennis, and a man who was working with him, were able to repair the equipment in about ten minutes.  Have you ever thought about the work mission hospitals do?   Have you ever wondered who keeps them operating?  People like Dennis. 

     The Lord has called us all into His service; He is filling all the niches to accomplish His work.  Perhaps He has a special mission for you.  If you would like to help Dennis or Ron and Susan, they can be reached through Helps International Ministries at www.helpsintl.com