Marcus and His Ministry

Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and welcome to “Joni and Friends”.

You know, at Joni and Friends I hear the most touching stories—like Marcus, a youth leader who had gotten really close to two disabled teenagers. They were brothers in his youth group and their names were Jose and Phillipe. Now, these two young men had muscular dystrophy, in their wheelchairs, and they had depended on their mother for almost everything. But Marcus loved hanging out with these two guys; they had great attitudes about their disabilities. But suddenly, Marcus was confronted with an awkward and very challenging situation because Jose and Phillipe’s mother had died earlier that week in an automobile accident.

As the youth leader drove to the home of these two boys, he broke out in a cold sweat. He didn’t have a clue about what to say to these teenaged boys who had just lost their mother and their main caregiver. Talking about, you know, things like all the good times in the youth group would be way too trivial at a time like this. So Marcus prayed for strength to keep his composure because he wanted to comfort Jose and his brother Phillipe.

At first when he was with them, the boys appeared to be unaffected by their loss and Marcus knew that this meant that the brothers were not ready to discuss their feelings. He was careful not to push them, but during his visit, he let Jose and Phillipe know that he would be around—that he would be available to listen, to pray with them, to continue to be their friend and hang out with them. Marcus had a goal, he wanted to create a safe place for future visits, knowing that each boy would process grief in his own way. After he left their home, he prayed for them as he drove away in his car. And suddenly, that’s when Marcus remembered a young man at his church named Andy whose sister had died the year before. He decided to invite Andy out for milkshakes and burgers with Jose and Phillipe. It would be Marcus’ treat.

So as they all sat down, the topic of soccer came up, and oh my goodness, did these boys talk up a storm. Their friendship took off that night, and it was the beginning of many other times that Marcus set up other fun meetings involving Andy with Jose and Phillipe. In time, all three teenagers began talking about the loss of their loved ones, and they found great comfort in their comradery. Marcus gently guided the two disabled brothers through their grief, which was still fresh, and their trust in God, as well as, their involvement in youth group, which began to grow like never before. Now telling the story, I want you to know one thing: Marcus had never had any training in grief recovery. All he depended on was prayer and God’s direction in connecting these three boys together. For him, grief counseling was, you know like what, uncharted territory, but he knew enough that Jose and Phillipe and even Andy—all three—all that they needed was a safe and secure environment in which to open up their hearts.

You know what? You might be like Marcus. You might know someone who recently lost a close friend or relative. Look, taking a course in grief counseling, it really would be ideal, but just know that the Holy Spirit and commonsense, inspired by God’s Word, might be all that you need. Oh, and you might also need our booklet on grief. It’s filled with wonderful insights to help you shepherd a friend through their season of loss. Just visit joniandfriends.org/radio today and ask for our booklet on Grief. It really is great. And remember please, that God comforts us so that we, in turn, can comfort others—others like Andy, Jose and Phillipe. And hey, if you need more inspiration, you just have to go to my blog today at joniandfriends.org. Again, that’s my blog at joniandfriends.org.

© Joni and Friends