"Eveline"

When I first met Eveline, she showed up for a church workday sporting a tight top that read “Sexy 70” on the front.  Not exactly appropriate apparel on the church grounds. Later, however, I found out that she didn’t even know what her shirt said. THAT word is the same in French as in English, but she mainly spoke her tribal tongue and didn’t read French.  Unfortunately, I had already misjudged her.

I know God can save and then use anyone for his service, but in new works, we can make the mistake of picking and choosing who we think God will use. This lady, Eveline, was not on my top ten list. Today, however, she is one of the most faithful women in our church and a close friend.  Little did I know at the beginning how God would work in her life and use her to convict me of my own weaknesses and selfishness.

Eveline came to church and got saved shortly after her husband started coming and persuaded her to come as well.  She went home and asked her husband, who could read some French, about her shirt. He explained it to her, and she got rid of it right away, refusing even to give it to someone else. In my judgmental spirit, it didn’t even cross my mind that maybe she didn’t understand what her shirt said. Evé began to grow in her faith and even her grasp of the French language so that, gradually, we could communicate more.

Evé had a sweet little girl when I met her and later had a second daughter.  The baby was always tiny but seemed alert and active. When she was around six months old, we were all at a Christmas Evé service at church. I was expecting my fourth child on any given day. I asked Evé about her little one, and she said the baby was eating well. Little did I know that would be my last time to see her.

My youngest was born a few days later. My husband was still at the hospital with me when we got the call that Evé’s baby girl died. We never even knew what was wrong. She got sick one morning and was gone by the end of the day. My husband took off to be present for the burial, and I wondered how I would ever go back to church and face my sister in Christ with my newborn baby after hers had just died.

I was shocked, however, that when I needed an extra set of hands for Caleb while I was busy at church, it was almost always Eveline who took care of him. She put him on her back, as is the custom here, so often that I had to learn to do the same in order to get him to go to sleep sometimes. She truly loved on him as if he were her own and seemed to hold no grudge against me.

Many months later, after a cleaning day at church, Evé was walking home. As she waited to cross the road, a car swerved and hit her. She was rushed to the hospital, but we weren’t sure of the extent of her injuries. I called her on the phone, and she assured me with a cheery voice that all was well. I believed her. I was shocked when we got to the hospital to see her in a neck brace. If anyone called, her husband, who took great care of her through everything, had to pick up the phone and hold it up to her ear. Her left side was paralyzed, and we weren’t sure if she would ever walk. Eveline had always loved to sing at church. She told my husband, “Even if I never walk again, the Lord has left me my voice. I will keep singing  and praising Him.” It is easy to praise the Lord after He does some great thing for us, but Evé made the choice once again to praise Him in her darkest valley.

Little by little, Evé got better. The day she walked down the aisle and sang a special at church all on her own was such a wonderful day. She only has a few problems when she wants to turn a certain way or using her left hand, but I have never once heard her complain.

Eveline’s testimony has preached to me louder than any preacher ever had. One day our power and water were cut, AGAIN! I was hot and miserable, and I didn’t feel like I could get anything done! My washing machine wouldn’t run, obviously. I couldn’t do computer work if I wanted to, and it was just too hot to THINK. My husband came home from teaching Bible classes and, after hearing my plight, did NOT sympathize with me. He told me, instead, to go out and “do some ministry” or something to make myself feel better. I got on my bike and went to Eve’s house. It was actually a mud brick hut with no running water or electricity and a very small “yard” of sorts. I left my home in a huff but came down a notch or two when Eve began to praise the Lord for restoring her health.

She explained that while she had been unable to walk, a neighbor always brought her water and helped her with her laundry. “Now, I can wash my own clothes,” she told me.  Evé was praising the Lord for being able to wash her clothes by hand, something I am not accustomed to and probably would not praise the Lord about.

God has since done amazing things in Evé’s life. Many years later, he blessed her with a baby boy. She and her husband were able to legalize their marriage, a big step that many couples here who are sampling living together do not want to do. There are other areas that we teach about, and when some say, “That’s not our custom. We won’t change,” Eveline says, “It’s the Word of God. I will do it.” Eveline now helps in a children’s class and is in charge of the children’s choir at our church. She serves anywhere she is needed, cleaning the church and preparing meals for special fellowships. I told the church ladies that we need to encourage the unmarried girls in the church, especially those who come without their parents. Eveline took that seriously. She took two young ladies into her home. One of them is married to a pastor today.  Eve’s oldest daughter has helped her learn to read, and she has memorized Bible verses to show others the way to salvation. I have no excuses not to serve God, and neither do you. Are you thankful for all He has done for you? Are you serving Him with your whole heart?