This is my friend John Fale. Top picture John (left) is dressed for winter in North Dakota and talking to Paul Krueger in Minot about Hope Village. Bottom picture is John and I at St. Thomas Church in India where it was about 100 degrees. I first went to Africa with John and Pastor Tim Yeadon and Matthew Harrison in 2004. I have traveled with him to India and Singapore. I was with him in New Orleans after Katrina and the Dominican Republic last winter. John is the mercy coordinator for our church and he has always exemplified the life of mercy that we can live because of the merciful washing of our baptism.
John and his wife Marcia were visiting relatives this week and Marcia was the victim of a terrible accident that broke her neck and hurt her spine. She underwent surgery very quickly and the report is that she is doing well and can now move her extremities. The news came out from the LCMS family very quickly and we thank God that Marcia is doing well.
At any rate it makes me remember what we used to talk about all the time back in the World Relief and Human Care days. Our discussion was always about God’s great mercy and our great need. “At just the right time while we were helpless Christ died for us”, Romans 5. Incidents like John and Marcia’s show our continued life in a fallen world. On June 18th 2012 I wrote on this blog site that we don’t life in a safe garden. We never know what might happen to us but the one thing we do know is that God’s mercy can supply our need.
Pray for Marcia’s continued recovery and pray for John. The man that has shown the compassionate face of the LCMS around the world needs our prayers and support right now.
Thanks for sharing this message. We thank God for strengthening Pastor Fale and his wife Marcia. We keep praying for His continued mercies.