For several years Susan has been praying for a missionary lady who struggled with cancer. She and her husband worked in Quito Ecuador for HCJB. From time to time she would be back in Toronto for treatment and we would have the opportunity to meet with her.

In June she came home for the last time and entered Princess Margaret Hospital for experimental treatment. Because her husband is from Winnipeg the four boys and the husband did not have a place to stay in the Toronto area. We volunteered our home as our girls were away in Cape Cod for the summer and it meant we had spare bedrooms. They moved in and stayed with us for almost a month. Because the husband was so far from home he did not have a spiritual mentor to assist him. That is where I came in.

During this time we were able to minister in temporal and spiritual ways to the family including the patient in hospital. It meant our home was a busy place as we housed, fed and in other ways looked after five extra people. The four boys ranged in age from 9-17 and were typical delightful young men. Because we had planned to be on holiday during this time our schedule was open and we were free to devote ourselves to the care of our guests.

After several weeks of unsuccessful treatment the lady slipped into a coma and finally went to be with the Lord. It was a sad business as the husband never gave up hope for an arrest of the cancer and an extension of his wife's life.

It is such a difficult matter to know when to shift one's thinking from hope for a cure to the realization that death is inevitable and may as well be faced. To take away hope for a reprieve seems cruel, and there never seems to be an appropriate time to face the fact that death is coming soon. All one who helps can do is to be there and quietly keep vigil with the family. That is what we did.

We are grateful that the Lord has given us a home that can be used to shelter people in need and where they can retreat from the cold realities that face them to be refreshed and comforted. Also we are thankful that the Lord's people minister to our material needs in such a way that we are in a position to help the hurting in this manner.

Perhaps the Lord will encourage some of our readers to offer their homes for hospitality to the needy. Some have grown children who have moved out leaving room for someone to come for a few days respite from the wearying battle with adversity. It does not take a lot of skill to extend hospitality to an individual or family on the short term. A little love goes a long way to easing the suffering of others and it is good stewardship of our temporal resources.