Occasionally I have the blessing of hosting international visitors in my home, especially from the small African nation of Malawi.  At the end of the trip I always ask several debriefing questions, one of which is, “What disappointed you most about what you saw in America?”  Without hesitation, it is almost always the same answer: “That you could go the whole day and not speak to your neighbors.”  I’m privately thinking, “A day? I can go a month without even trying!”  Such is the nature of our isolated North American culture.  But it is a convicting statement that I need to be reminded of by my African friends.  

A pastor in Washington state concluded his Father’s Day sermon recently by praying this: “Lord...don’t let us be content as men to just let life go by, to see the world around us burn. God, instead, help us to get involved.”

I first met A about 2 years ago. She was seeking counseling to receive help coming to terms with her diagnosis of Stage 4 breast cancer. A had been first diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer in 2012. She received intensive treatment and went into remission. She and her children, her husband and her extensive extended family were beginning to feel safe from cancer. However, she had a recurrence in 2015 and learned that the cancer had spread into her bones. She was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer.  A once again began receiving treatment for cancer and continued doing so when we began working together.