Comfort One Another

Early Sunday morning, May 7, 2000, Mr. Son Hai Tran, suddenly had an extreme headache and felt terribly nau-
seated. He knew something was wrong and called his son, Anh Tuan, to rush him to the hospital. After various tests and procedures, the doctors concluded that he had suffered a cerebral aneurysm (a blood vessel had burst in the back of his brain).
Upon learning of Mr. Tran’s condition and visiting with his wife, Yen, and children Tu Anh and Anh Tuan, thoughts of my own mother’s previous condition flashed back through my mind. Exactly one year ago, my mother also had a cerebral aneurysm. What a terrible coincidence.
Mr. Tran and my mother were close schoolmates in Vietnam and he would often tell me stories of their school Christmas play and of the many friends they both had like Mr. David Nguyen, Mrs. Duc Thi Hau, Mr. Nghia Xuan Pham, and Mrs. Hoa Thi Nguyen. When Mr. Tran would see my children, he would often say, “How are my grandsons?”, with a fond smile.
Now he laid helpless in the hospital room with a very critical operation to forego. Seeing Mr. Tran’s dear family burdened with worry, brought back vivid memories of how I too felt. The tears, the sleepless nights, the many days sitting in the small, sometimes crowded, waiting room, and the many petitions earnestly made to God to save my mother’s life, seemed like just yesterday.
Through those difficult times, I remembered how comforting it was to know that many friends and family were also praying for my mother, and that there was and is a God who really cares for us and whom we can put all our sorrows in His loving hands. I was glad I was able to share with Mr. Tran’s family, experience from my mother’s hospitalization and miraculous recovery, as well as special Bible verses that brought me comfort and encouragement. John 14:1 says, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me” and Isaiah 43:2 states, “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”
I thank the Lord that through my own experience, I was able to comfort Mr. Tran and his dear family in some small way. In II Corinthians 1: 3,4 it says, “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” God is the wonderful source of all our needs, and I feel fortunate to be able to help and comfort someone during their time of sorrow and perplexity. Helping someone is a precious gift no money can buy. It blesses both the giver and the recipient.
I ask for your special prayers on Mr. Tran’s behalf during this critical period. May the Lord bless you always.
Ly Lan Nguyen