"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Rom 8:18
It was Monday, November 26, 2012. I was in my office at work when I received the news: John Lello is dead. At first I thought this was a joke. But the moment I heard it was true was the moment I broke down and cried.
Pam: "I was putting [the girls] to bed when suddenly we heard a loud banging on our door. 'Who would be visiting us so late at night?' I wondered. I whispered to the girls to turn off their flashlights. The banging continued. 'Pam! It’s Colin!' Recognizing the distressed voice of our friend from church, I opened the door and peered out into the darkness. Then came the words I will never forget: 'Pam, John is dead!'”
Chelsey: "The next day Pam, the girls, along with John's body boarded the helicopter that came to pick them up to take them to the main mission post. Pam's heart ached with profound loneliness. Although she grieved the loss of her husband, her heart reached out to the Ama people."
Pam: "Just before climbing into the helicopter, I addressed the [Ama people]. 'Please do not give up! Keep looking to Jesus. Encourage each other, and I will do my best to find another missionary to carry on the work John began. We worship a good God who loves and cares for us. I love all of you. If I do not see you again on this earth, we will meet on that glorious resurrection morning with John when Jesus will take us all to heaven.'
As the helicopter lifted us higher and higher, I looked down on the sea of devastated, hopeless faces of the people of May River. The Missionary they had prayed for so long had been snatched away. My heart went out to them. We had answered God’s call for their sakes. We invited people to eat at our table, provided them with clean water, gave strangers a place to stay, clothed those in need and visited the sick and dying. Satan wasn’t happy with the work we were doing, and he did his best to stop it. Oh God, I cried, why did this have to happen? Again, I felt the weight of emptiness and loneliness crushing me. How I yearned for the assurance of God’s presence in my life.
'Look, Mommy!' cried Abby, 'Look at the beautiful rainbow in the clouds!' Tokengo, the pilot, later told me that the rainbow seemed to encircle our helicopter all the way to town. Again God showed me that He was with us, that He loved us and cared about our future and the future of the people in the Sepik region. He has wonderful things planned for the future because John laid down his life for the people of Papua New Guinea."
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Excerpts taken from a testimony by Pam Lello -- John and Pam, along with their two daughters, served as missionaries to the Ama people group in Papua New Guinea until her husband's fatal accident. Because of the culture, it was no longer safe for Pam to continue her husband's work in the area. Her testimony of her husband's death can be found by Clicking HERE!
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