My Dear Victoria
May She Rest in Peace
Perhaps you have had the experience, as a committed Christian, of wondering what God was doing? Perhaps you have felt, in your walk of faith, that you’ve ‘hit the wall’ and don’t quite know where to turn? Perhaps the circumstance in which you find yourself is just bewildering?
That is my experience today.
I have previously written two Substack articles about my dear Victoria - a young girl whose feet were terribly burned in an accident. My first article facilitated the funds so that she could get the medical attention that she needed in Mahajanga. My second described how remarkably well she was doing, and how beautifully her family was responding to the care provided through Western medicine.
Today, however, I write with heartbreaking news. This morning, I received an email informing me that just yesterday Victoria experienced difficulty breathing and was taken to the local hospital. Quite unexpectedly, and heartbreakingly, she died just a few hours later.
This precious sixteen‑year‑old Christian young woman has gone to heaven. I know this to be true. And yet my heart is broken. Honestly, I can’t help but wonder why?
‘Now we see through a glass dimly’, One day, we will see him face-to-face. One day, we will know, we will understand…But for now, in the midst of tears, and questions, we ‘walk by faith and not by sight’.
More than ever in my life, as the Bishop of Mahajanga, I find myself wondering what the Lord is doing. Many experiences as a missionary Bishop in Madagascar have led me to question, not the goodness of God, nor the sovereignty of God in the big picture. I trust that all things will ultimately be made right. Yet there are moments when we are simply called to endure the long night of sorrow, holding fast to the promise that joy will come in the morning—the eternal morning.
My dear ones, pray for the Bishop of Mahajanga, and even more pray for this grieving family. Pray for the repose of the soul of dear Victoria. She is now the nearer presence of the Lord - without the pain of the burns, perhaps, like the Lord Jesus, still bearing the scars, but without tears, pain, and sorrow.
May she rest in peace and rise in glory.
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I am so saddened for Victoria's family to learn that her life ended too prematurely, but I am heartened by the Spirit of God that flows through your writing, Bishop Darrell, and by the faithful witness of Victoria and her family. We grieve with those who grieve, and rejoice with those who rejoice. While are hearts are heavy at this precious loss, we give God thanks for his servant Victoria who is at home with her Lord and Saviour.
I am so sorry to hear this news about Victoria. There are truly no words to comfort you or her family in a time of grief — we try but words fall short. Know that you and her family are being held by many in prayer. May His peace and comfort surround all of you as you walk thru the shadow of death.