Surrounded by Friends
With the moving van having left on its journey to Ontario and all the stuff that we shipped – the Regina portion of this year’s holiday is almost over. Now it is a waiting period until the flight home next week – on Wednesday. What do I do with my time? Sitting still is not easy for me. Waiting can drive me nuts…
One of my friends wrote an email and stated it simply… God must have a reason and a plan for me to spend these last days in the city of Regina. She was right.
In the last two days I was able to connect with some very close and older friends. One is older in years and the other is older in friendship. I want to share a short account with you about “Grandpa Ivan”. His photo is shown here.
In 1991 Ivan came to Canada to begin his Canadian life with his wife – in Regina, Saskatchewan. Together they came to live with their daughter. You likely could not find any greater contrast in climates than from their home in Sri Lanka and to the new one in Regina. Then tragedy struck Ivan’s family. His beautiful wife of many years passed away leaving him as a widower in a strange country.
Years have passed slowly. Ivan has lost his eyesight. He has been a gifted poet over these many years but with his eyesight now gone – so has his ability to write. I had the privilege to help him assemble his poetry into a book form a few years ago.
Now Ivan has a special way of dealing with his disabilities in a short description of who he is. Ivan describes himself by the following. When he was younger he was know as ‘Ivan the Great’. In his many years working in Sri Lanka, in a management position, I believe he said that his employees knew him as ‘Ivan the Terrible’. When he moved to Canada and his wife passed away in his mind he became ‘Ivan the Miserable’.
In the years that I had of being the pastor of Southside Pentecostal Church in Regina, Ivan was one of our congregants. With his loss of sight he was confined to his daughter’s home unless someone would take the time to take him out. It was because of this inability to get out of his home on his own that we began the “Men’s Group” on a Thursday morning. I picked Ivan and another of his friends up and we went to the local mall to walk together… then after a walk we would sit and drink coffee together… tell stories… and laugh a lot. This small group of three grew to about six men meeting each week for a walk and talk time.
This may well have been the greatest ministry that God has ever given me in all my years. It was plain and simple encouragement… more for me than anyone else. Being a witness to the pure joy that these older men had with each other was a ministry to my soul. Taking the time to get out of a busy world and then enter their worlds with such a simple activity of just being with each other was wonderful. I needed this more than they did.
When I found Ivan this week in his new ‘Care Home’ that he lives in – our reunion was just wonderful! He grabbed my hand and in true Sri Lankan manner held it tightly as we talked. He kissed my hand over and over again as an expression of great joy. Tears rolled down his cheeks freely. I cried with him. Two friends that have not seen each other for 9 years now – were together again. What a meeting this was.
Ivan is 86 years old now and lonely. I pray that someone will be there for him. He cannot walk that far anymore. He is pretty much confined to this home setting now. His daughter is faithful but is not able to be there as often as she would like to be.
His new friends in the home – 3 of them – are people that he is happy with. He told me that last week one of the ‘dear sisters’ passed away at 92 years of age. Another of his friends has gone. There was a touch of loneliness in his voice as he described what happened.
I have been thinking a lot about ‘Ivan the Great’, ‘Ivan the Terrible’, ‘Ivan the Miserable’ and my ‘Ivan the Friend’. There are hundreds of Ivans in this city that need just a little encouragement. It is the same in our own city of Peterborough as well. They are hidden and alone. Who will come to see them? Who cares?
Ivan… you will not be able to read this … but again your life and words have encouraged me to take up the challenge to love and care – just a little bit more.
Ivan the Great… keep on going. I love you my brother!
~ Pastor Murray Lincoln ~
One of my friends wrote an email and stated it simply… God must have a reason and a plan for me to spend these last days in the city of Regina. She was right.
In the last two days I was able to connect with some very close and older friends. One is older in years and the other is older in friendship. I want to share a short account with you about “Grandpa Ivan”. His photo is shown here.In 1991 Ivan came to Canada to begin his Canadian life with his wife – in Regina, Saskatchewan. Together they came to live with their daughter. You likely could not find any greater contrast in climates than from their home in Sri Lanka and to the new one in Regina. Then tragedy struck Ivan’s family. His beautiful wife of many years passed away leaving him as a widower in a strange country.
Years have passed slowly. Ivan has lost his eyesight. He has been a gifted poet over these many years but with his eyesight now gone – so has his ability to write. I had the privilege to help him assemble his poetry into a book form a few years ago.
Now Ivan has a special way of dealing with his disabilities in a short description of who he is. Ivan describes himself by the following. When he was younger he was know as ‘Ivan the Great’. In his many years working in Sri Lanka, in a management position, I believe he said that his employees knew him as ‘Ivan the Terrible’. When he moved to Canada and his wife passed away in his mind he became ‘Ivan the Miserable’.
In the years that I had of being the pastor of Southside Pentecostal Church in Regina, Ivan was one of our congregants. With his loss of sight he was confined to his daughter’s home unless someone would take the time to take him out. It was because of this inability to get out of his home on his own that we began the “Men’s Group” on a Thursday morning. I picked Ivan and another of his friends up and we went to the local mall to walk together… then after a walk we would sit and drink coffee together… tell stories… and laugh a lot. This small group of three grew to about six men meeting each week for a walk and talk time.
This may well have been the greatest ministry that God has ever given me in all my years. It was plain and simple encouragement… more for me than anyone else. Being a witness to the pure joy that these older men had with each other was a ministry to my soul. Taking the time to get out of a busy world and then enter their worlds with such a simple activity of just being with each other was wonderful. I needed this more than they did.
When I found Ivan this week in his new ‘Care Home’ that he lives in – our reunion was just wonderful! He grabbed my hand and in true Sri Lankan manner held it tightly as we talked. He kissed my hand over and over again as an expression of great joy. Tears rolled down his cheeks freely. I cried with him. Two friends that have not seen each other for 9 years now – were together again. What a meeting this was.
Ivan is 86 years old now and lonely. I pray that someone will be there for him. He cannot walk that far anymore. He is pretty much confined to this home setting now. His daughter is faithful but is not able to be there as often as she would like to be.
His new friends in the home – 3 of them – are people that he is happy with. He told me that last week one of the ‘dear sisters’ passed away at 92 years of age. Another of his friends has gone. There was a touch of loneliness in his voice as he described what happened.
I have been thinking a lot about ‘Ivan the Great’, ‘Ivan the Terrible’, ‘Ivan the Miserable’ and my ‘Ivan the Friend’. There are hundreds of Ivans in this city that need just a little encouragement. It is the same in our own city of Peterborough as well. They are hidden and alone. Who will come to see them? Who cares?
Ivan… you will not be able to read this … but again your life and words have encouraged me to take up the challenge to love and care – just a little bit more.
Ivan the Great… keep on going. I love you my brother!
~ Pastor Murray Lincoln ~
posted by Murray Lincoln at
Saturday, March 24, 2007
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