In 2024, after teaching a Sunday School class, a woman came up to me and cried her eyes out that she was suffering tremendously from the loss of a loved one. She asked me to do something--to help her. I was a little taken aback. I was sick and terribly tired, but who was I to tell this woman no? I agreed to help her.
When I arrived home, I researched grief support groups. A program called GriefShare popped up. After reading reviews about the program, I decided to ask the pastor if this was a program we wanted at our congregation. He eagerly said yes, but it had to be approved by the leadership. Thankfully, the leadership said yes, and now I was heading a GriefShare program.
I wondered over and over again why I was being pulled in this direction. I did not want to lead the group, but considering everything that had happened, I felt like I had to lead the group.
The GriefShare program went well. Many of the people told me how beneficial it was to them. Since GriefShare took up a substantial amount of time, I decided to document some of my experiences and post them to my YouTube channel. Did I intend for these videos to benefit anyone? The answer is absolutely not. I only did the videos to keep my YouTube channel alive while I dedicated a lot of time to GriefShare.
At the end of the summer, a precious young woman passed away. I was devastated. The young lady's mother had been in contact with me for a number of years. We developed a wonderful friendship, and I had the honor of praying for the mother and daughter. When I heard the young lady passed away, I wondered how the family was going to cope. I asked myself, "Should I recommend GriefShare to the mother?" I decided not to. I thought the family needs time to grieve.
Nearly every day, I prayed for the family. I hoped God would help them during this intense mourning period.
On Sunday night, as I was trying to go to sleep, I suddenly had the urge to reach out to the young lady's mother. I thought, "I should contact her. It has been a little over three months since her daughter passed away."
The next day, I went on to Facebook, and there was a message from the young woman's mother. I thanked God for the message. I replied to the message. In the evening, I suddenly wondered if the mother might be ready for GriefShare. I told myself the next day, I would message the mother and encourage her to attend a GriefShare program.
Today, I logged in to Facebook, and there was another message from the mother. She stated about 3-4 weeks ago, she joined a GriefShare class at her church. She said she knew about the program from the videos I had posted to my YouTube channel.
Tears filled my eyes. I was so happy the woman was attending a GriefShare class. I was overwhelmed with gratitude that God set in motion so many events. If you would have told me one of the reasons I was to start a GriefShare program was to help someone across the country, I would have said you are crazy. And yet, that is what happened.
I hope GriefShare is a blessing to this mother and to countless other people.
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