As I sit writing, I am mere days from the completion of my master’s degree. It has been a while in the making. It is hard to remember not being in school at this point. And it has sure been full of challenges… In many ways, more than had I taken a more traditional route to get here.
Nearly reaching this long-awaited accomplishment, I have been thinking of other things I hope and yearn for. Christmas break is just around the corner. Time with family and friend’s is something I look forward to each year.
Then I think about my 7-year-old baby girl. She is a fighter. Doctors said she would be lucky to see her 5th birthday. She was born with a rare type of leukodystrophy. It is a white matter brain disorder. She is unable to walk, use the bathroom, feed herself, talk. She is very limited in her ability to express herself. Despite this, there are so many times I see genuine joy and connection emanating from this little girl. I have hoped and prayed and yearned for God to heal her. It hasn’t happened yet, but I know one day it will. It just may not be here on Earth.
I hope for family and friends far from Christ to know Him. To be released from the weight of their own sins and free in the love of God.
There are so many things I hope for each day. Some are trivial and fleeting, while others are important and enduring. The sense of accomplishment and relief from completing my master’s program will pass when the next thing comes along. It will become a long-forgotten memory. Time with friend’s and family will be cherished, but the memories will fade, and they will become the past. My baby may never be healed this side of heaven. I may never see those I love come to know Christ in my lifetime.
Despite this, I know a greater hope. A hope that is assured. An enduring hope. I can set aside the fleeting hopes for eternity.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea no longer existed. I also saw the Holy City, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look! God’s dwelling is with humanity, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away. Then the One seated on the throne said, “Look! I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” Revelation 21:1-5
– Angela Fontanelli, GEM Missionary
If you’d like to support Angela as she serves with GEM in Mexico, you can do so HERE. You can also contact her directly to talk further about what it means to be on her support team and find out how you can be praying for her!