It has been a year since Pam Lello, a former missionary, lost her husband in a fatal accident. This morning, I received a wonderful email from her. I have received permission from her to share this thought from her:
"As I sat looking over the hills and valleys here in Maine, my thoughts took me back to a year ago when I also sat on a hill, over-looking the valleys and rivers of Papua New Guinea. It seems like only yesterday that I was there because of our mission among the Ama people. At that time tears were streaming down my face, my heart ached like it never had before and the sense of loneliness over whelmed me. But through the most difficult time of my life the Lord was there for me. I could feel His presence so close as the girls and I prepared to leave our home of 9 months to return to the states. As we prepared to leave, my heart had a different type of ache and that was for the Ama families that we had grown to love and were leaving behind. My prayers continue to lift toward heaven for the Ama people, but also for all those who haven’t heard about the love of Jesus and His plan of salvation too.
I can truly say that I do not regret or blame God for what He allowed me to experience. I have learned to love Jesus more, my faith has strengthened and once again I have surrendered my life to Him that I might serve in helping others. It is this action of love that makes God’s love real. When we step out of our comfort zone to help someone else, we have no time to think about our problems, our hardships or having self-pity. My heart has been filled to over flowing in serving Jesus in this way and my prayer is that you will experience the same bubbly feeling that Jesus can share with you.
Since I have experienced the contagious love of Jesus again, I have a hard time keeping it to myself. Here in Maine the Lord has given me a mission field and has provided many opportunities for me to witness for Him. I always had difficulty sharing God’s love with strangers in fear that I might not know know the right answers to questions people could ask. But God doesn’t want us to worry about that. He will give us the words to say. So my friend, step out and try it.
Witnessing for Jesus and sharing what He has done in my life is so rewarding when I know that through it all I have planted a little seed of hope in another one of God's children. A seed that the Lord will nurture and help grow. One day when we get to Heaven we will receive the greatest reward ever. Because of you, family, neighbors and friends will come forward and thank you for the part you played in giving them the opportunity to choose Jesus. I cannot wait to see the look on John’s face when he will witness all those who are in Heaven because he laid down his life for the Ama people."
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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, exactly one year ago. Because of the culture, it was no longer safe for Pam and the girls to continue their mission service there.
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