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“He enables us to see, hear, and grasp spiritual realities.” - Helen, Age
Helen’s stories change people; after all, they’ve changed her. She paints a picture of a little girl bouncing up and down in the back of the family pickup truck, along for the ride to haul water. She leans her head back to catch a peek at the night sky and, upon looking up, sees the Milky Way— a vast expanse of star upon star. “It just about took my breath away,” she shares. In that moment she KNEW that a loving Creator was watching over her.
“When childhood friends made comments about there being something different about me, I knew in my heart it was because of Jesus.” Her soon-to-be husband, John, must’ve seen the same thing when they met in the 1950’s. He was also a passionate believer; a man after God’s own heart. They married in 1959 and remained committed to the Lord and to one another until his recent passing on May 10th, 2018.
Their life together was full of adventures, though Helen would be the first to tell you that it wasn’t just for the sake of a good story to tell. In fact, intermingled with their adventures were darker moments and experiences that God would use to shape those “spiritual realities” for her.
It was after she gave birth to her daughter in the jungles of Peru (while on the mission field), that she learned to “take every thought captive.” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Postpartum depression had settled in to the deepest parts and she knew it wasn’t something she could battle alone.
And while on the mission field in Chiang Mai, Thailand—in the prime of their retirement years—Helen learned to “Bless the Lord” (Psalm 103:1) in the midst of organizational and interpersonal conflict. His purposes are always bigger than ours!
It wasn’t too long after their return from Thailand in 2007 that Helen was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (which she still receives treatment for). Sadly, soon after that, John was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, an unforgiving disease that would slowly steal his independence over a ten-year period of time. But it never stole his identity in Christ.
The couple continued to pray and read God’s word regularly. Helen could often be found sitting by his bedside, telling him time and time again: “John, we are on the same road together. Our lives are hidden together in Christ, and I love you.”
Even in the face of grief and loss following the death of her beloved John, Helen would tell you:
“JESUS IS LIFE! He gives us life; we are totally dependent on that. We are all dead in trespasses and sins. And when Jesus comes in He changes that . . . we become a new creature.”
When this interviewer asked Helen if her relationship with the Lord has gotten harder or easier as she’s gotten older, she said this: “It does not get harder; because you have all of those experiences that you built your life on . . . but we are in a [spiritual] battle so we’ve got to be vigilant, stay close to the Lord, and understand the importance of the Church.” If we do these things, we will never be alone. After all, the God of the galaxies is watching over us.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HELEN AND HOW KIND AT HEART CAME BESIDE HER DURING A DIFFICULT TIME.