July 19 was my mother's birthday. Today, for the first time, she spent her birthday in the presence of the Savior whom she served for almost 70 years, in joy and wholeness that I can't begin to imagine! She passed away in May; by the providence of God, all four of her children were in the local area at the time. (The older of my sisters still lives in Ecuador; but she and her husband "happened" to be in northern Indiana then.)
For reasons I don't fully know, a change of home and of overall environment was always especially difficult for Mom; more than for anyone else I have ever known. Nevertheless, she went to Ecuador with her husband and their first two children when she was 25, to devote her life, along with Dad, to Bible translation. Once there, the thoroughness with which she adapted, and the love she came to have for the Ecuadorian people, can only be explained by the grace of God. She loved to sing in Spanish as much as in English. I couldn't count the number of times that, as a boy and a teenager, I saw her visiting with local women in either Spanish or Tsafiki, the indigenous language for which she and Dad translated the Scriptures. She enjoyed Ecuadorian food and became skilled at preparing many local dishes. (Her balas with peanut soup comprised one of my favorite supper menus. "Balas" are made of cooked green plantain, mashed and re-rolled into a banana-sized cylinder. With soup made from fresh-from-the-garden peanuts - delicious!) She identified with Ecuador so far as to refer to the USA as "you" rather than "we" during the "tuna wars" of the 1960's!
She was a good example of facing one's fears for all her children, and for many others. But even tho she moved house when necessary, from time to time she still voiced her yearning for a home that she would never have to leave. On May 22, at the age of 83, she stepped into the Savior's presence, and into the Home promised in John 14:2: "In My Father's house are many dwelling places ... I go to prepare a place for you."
The Home that, in God's grace, she will never, ever, have to leave.
(For any who don't know, there are still roughly 2000 languages in the world that have no portion of the Bible - none - in the first language of their speakers. If you're interested in knowing more, I suggest this link as a place to start.)
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| Joyce Eloise (Cain) Moore; July 19, 1930 - May 22, 2014. |
She was a good example of facing one's fears for all her children, and for many others. But even tho she moved house when necessary, from time to time she still voiced her yearning for a home that she would never have to leave. On May 22, at the age of 83, she stepped into the Savior's presence, and into the Home promised in John 14:2: "In My Father's house are many dwelling places ... I go to prepare a place for you."
The Home that, in God's grace, she will never, ever, have to leave.
:-) :-) :-)
(For any who don't know, there are still roughly 2000 languages in the world that have no portion of the Bible - none - in the first language of their speakers. If you're interested in knowing more, I suggest this link as a place to start.)
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