A copy of this 19th century hymn hangs on our bedroom wall.
My life flows on in endless song,
Above earth’s lamentation,
I hear the clear though far-off hymn
That hails a new creation.
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear the music ringing.
It finds an echo in my soul,
How can I keep from singing?
What though my joys and comfort die?
The Lord my Savior liveth.
What though the darkness gather round?
Songs in the night he giveth.
The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
A fountain ever springing!
All things are mine since I am His.
How can I keep from singing!
Is this a corny little ditty – not appropriate for times like these? No, it is a most serious hymn for exactly a time like this.
On Friday we visited with an older couple who endured unimaginable suffering. The husband lost his first spouse during the birth of their first child. As a couple they lost both their young adult children under tragic circumstances. Though etched by pain and suffering in the valley of despair, they radiate peace. They joyfully pour out the grace and mercy they received in that same dark valley.
Our Spanish baristas adopted this same posture when told that they would lose their jobs because of the Cuatro Vientos closure. They expressed understanding and prayed together. Much fortitude, though three of them are in a hard place. Penelope has a young son with a heart condition and lives with her elderly parents. Lucia has two daughters, at risk because of asthma. Heidis has a young daughter. She can work neither of her other two jobs because of a shelter in place decree. They have hope because they know where to turn.
We closed Four Winds last Monday and laid off our baristas on Tuesday. For the second time in less than a week we witnessed that beautiful posture of hope, of looking up. The spirit during the staff meeting can best be illustrated by a comment from Joy: “I grew up poor. I do ‘poor’ well.” Molly and Joy showed up for two more days of training for a newly hired barista.
See the photo of the newcomer wearing a mask. These women Joy-fully cooked a meal for the first take-out “Wednesday Supper” for students (in addition to Sunday Suppers).
They did this even though Molly and her husband lost both their incomes and are expecting a baby (Josh is a trainer at a fitness center). Joy lost her two jobs on the same day and is planning to get married in December. Elizabeth, having lost her only income, still smiles. Families of our other baristas will help them out.
Our whole staff family longs for the day soon when they will return to work to serve those in need.
Can you hear the far-off hymn that hails a new creation?
All of us had a sense of God’s presence. His first response was (and is) to encourage and to reassure. Our staff knew exactly where to turn. They cried and prayed together.
On the day we laid off our Four Winds/Christ Center staff, one person delivered a few envelopes with hard cash to our door. The envelopes were addressed to the staff who needed financial help the most. The following day, a second set of envelopes arrived at our door.
A local church sent monetary help. Two more people either wrote a check or activated donor directed funds to help our hardest hit staff.
The arrival of the virus gave the Marais’ reason to think their departure for Spain would be delayed. But, since our last update about two weeks ago, our annual support went from 34.5% to 56%.
Three donors gave us wide latitude to allocate funds where needed most. We will shore up the operating accounts of the Christ Center and Cuatro Vientos – a necessary step to get both shops ready for reopening when the time is right.
We can also report that Seth Rickard in Spain now only needs $200 per month to be at 100% with his annual support.
Our goal to raise an additional $10,000 per year to supplement Will Kuhlman’s salary is at the half-way mark for 2020. William will be at the helm from June 1.
In our last update we indicated that we would be praying for $80,000 in additional gifts and revenue for 2020. Given the above, we now project that we will need about $53,000 for the following:
- Loving our staff family well in difficult times
- Strengthening the operating reserves for Christ Center
- Growing the operating fund for Cuatro Vientos
- Getting Seth Rickard to 100% of his annual support
- Raising the rest of the Director’s salary supplement
- Bringing the Marais’ support to 100%
What though the darkness gather round?
Songs in the night he giveth.
The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
A fountain ever springing!
Let’s rise above the lamentations of the earth, allow the ancient hymn to echo in our soul.
“How can we keep from singing?“