I didn’t have the privilege of seeing Uncle Charles and Aunt Jo a lot in my growing-up years, but those times that we could be together were special, and they made a point of getting to know their nieces and nephews. I do remember one very difficult point in my teenage years, when I was wanting to follow God but was feeling quite angry and perhaps even a little bitter about my own mother’s death when I was eleven. (Mom was Uncle Charles’ older sister.) Uncle Charles and Aunt Jo knew I was struggling with some issues as a result of Mom’s death. They came through our area and took me to their motel room for a visit. While we were visiting, they introduced me to the concept of thanking God for everything, in every situation. (I’d heard the verse “in everything give thanks” all my life, but surely that didn’t apply HERE!) I knew I could never thank God for my mom’s death and could not see anything good coming out of that. But because of my respect for them, I reluctantly promised to “try”. They told me it was okay if I didn’t mean it at first when I prayed it, that God knew my thoughts and feelings anyway, and challenged me to ask Him to make me willing to mean it! I did.
God used that experience as a life-changing moment in my life, and since then I have seen God work in my life in ways which at that time seemed unimaginable. As much as I missed Mom in my teen years, God’s hand is clearly visible even in that situation which I would never have chosen. Now that we are working with teenagers whose home situations are anything BUT ideal, God has many times allowed me to use my teen experiences in counseling situations. He truly does bring “beauty from ashes.” (Isaiah 61:3)
During my Bible college years, I was able to go to Grand Rapids, MI, for two separate “Informissions” conferences. The second one was shortly after our marriage, and by then, Uncle Charles and Aunt Jo resided in that area. We had the opportunity to stay with them then as well as other occasions when we came through Grand Rapids. We always received a warm welcome, interested questions about our progress toward our own missions ministry, and encouragement. Though their own finances were often tight, they have also been financial supporters of our ministry, and I know that with that support also came specific and knowledgeable prayers sent to the Heavenly Father for our work and personal needs. How we thank God for such a heritage in our families – encouragement from Christian relatives who never tried to deter us, but rather spurred us on and were truly interested in what we felt God was asking us to do! They also were a great example to us as a younger couple, showing by their actions (a glance here, a loving word there) how much they loved each other – a faithful married love that lasted 63 years!
Uncle Charles was always a “larger than life” man – an outgoing personality, strong opinions, a man who knew what he believed and why, a family man, and all of these things were in my mind the last time I saw him. During our last trip to the U.S., we visited them, and it was hard to see how he had aged – a natural process that comes into all our lives. At that time he would enter into the conversation and try hard to get his thoughts out, but somewhere between his brain and his mouth, the words would just get lost. How frustrating for such an erstwhile articulate man! But I never saw him “lose his cool” over it. Even during the times he would forget who we were, and was not quite sure who these visitors were who had come to see them, he was a gracious and kind host, interested in our mission work and interested in us.
Uncle Charles and Aunt Jo – what a blessing they have been to my life! Now that Uncle Charles has left this life and is reunited first with his Lord and Saviour, and secondly with his whole birth family (my mom and their other siblings, and their parents) in their Heavenly home, how can we possibly “wish him back”? Rather, we say THANK YOU to a great God who allowed him to be in our lives, who used him in great ways both in the U.S. and in the Philippines, and in my life. As we say “See you later” to Uncle Charles, we have the hope of seeing him again in Heaven, in God’s time.
Lord, thank you for comforting my dear Aunt Jo today and in the coming days, as well as their children and grandchildren, other nieces and nephews, and all who knew my uncle. Thank you that even though I am far from the family at this time, I know that You are with me here – at the same time You are with them at the memorial service – and every day to follow. May a testimony of Your grace go forth even from his funeral, that others will know You better for having known Uncle Charles. Amen.
Sonia Einfeldt (Niece)
6 December 2009
