Dear Rose Park,
This letter comes from our beloved elder, Marife Vander Schuur…
April 2020, I was laid off from a career that I thought defined who I am. Many of you felt the impact of 2020. For others, that meant a job loss, illness, or even a death in the family. There was a tumultuous weight of uncertainty in a world where we want a guarantee that our tomorrow is secure.
I wrestled and prayed for a direction in my life. I kept myself busy. Cooking, cleaning, calling friends, getting to know Rose Park families. Most of all, I loaded my time in reading the Bible and understanding what it means to be a follower of Christ. What it means to listen and be an obedient daughter of our most High King.
During the time that I felt I was alone and walking in the valley of darkness, Jesus would meet me. The loss of a sister-in-law for whom I prayed for for many years broke my heart. In the midst of loneliness, I never once felt that God abandoned me. In Him, I found the strength to hold the family together, and the memorial service that Rose Park extended to my family at this time of need, a spiritual hunger, it was met with love and care for the body of Christ. For many in that service, it was perhaps the first time for many years they have heard the word of God, or have walked in a church. I know following that week, when my father in law passed away in his sleep, he had a conversation with God inside Rose Park.
As 2020 ended, many social media highlights focused on how bad it was. Not for me. It was a kairos time (it calls for action, conversion, a transformation - a change of life), this was an opportunity to heed God breaking through in my life, in our time.
So dear friends, my hope is that 2020 was not wasted, that it was the year, a beginning of God’s work in our life.
In Christ,
Marife