The ministry of a Saskatchewan family facing the unthinkable.
“This happened so that the works of God may be displayed in him.” These words from Jesus echo through my mind and heart daily. They come from John 9, where the disciples ask Jesus why a man was born blind.
Our son Henry was diagnosed at age five with a terminal illness called Mucopolysaccharidosis. The doctors were 99% sure it was a specific type of MPS known as Hunter’s Syndrome, a terrible condition that painfully disjoints little bodies, requiring countless procedures throughout their shortened lives.
The doctors used phrases like “incurable,” “no hope,” “decline” and “palliative.” Part of me heard them, but it was as if I was trying to understand a foreign language. I couldn’t conceive of their impact.
As Henry and I left the doctor’s office that day, we sat in the parking lot. Henry was firmly buckled into his car seat, as he had become a bit of an escape artist as of late. I remember staring at him in the rearview mirror in incomprehension.
While I tried to start to process how everything had changed, Henry quietly sang “Jesus Loves Me,” a favourite of his. He sang it in his own way, with his own tune.
In that moment, I perceived in some deeper way that Jesus loves Henry and that God did not act with cruelty, but always with love – God’s will and how this knowledge shapes our lives and His purpose for our lives just hadn’t been revealed yet.
I made the most difficult phone call of my life, to let Henry’s mother know how the appointment went. Disbelief, confusion and shock.
We had already known there were some challenges with our Henry. He was diagnosed deaf (hard of hearing) in the years prior and had a diagnosis of global developmental delay, a kind of vague catch-all diagnosis. We were used to pediatric appointments, speech therapy and occupational therapy – but today unexpectedly was very different.
God makes no mistakes
Every single human being is made in the image of God. God makes no mistakes. Henry, even with his unique challenges is made in the image of God.
The question that resounded in my heart that day was not why, but how? How will God use this trauma, this unimaginable difficulty for His glory? How will the unthinkable draw people closer to Him? That is His goal after all, reconciliation, redemption and grace. God is not cruel or unloving, therefore the road may not be an easy one, but it will lead to Him.
Our pastor came to our home that evening, prayed with us, shepherded us, loved us, and shared in the struggle with us. Later that evening, when the house was quiet, I crumpled on the kitchen floor. My knees gave out and I wept. I prayed to God, my Good Father, begging for mercy. “You can have my son, just please I beg you not to let him experience a lifetime of pain. Have mercy on Him and compassion on me.”
In that moment the audible voice of God spoke to me. Isaiah 43: “You are mine, when you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame should not consume you. For I AM the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.”
At a follow up doctor’s appointment a few weeks later, I brought reinforcements. The doctors reiterated the incurable nature of Henry’s Mucopolysaccharidosis, but they revised his official diagnosis.
Henry had an ultra-rare subcategory called MPS 3C or Sanfilippo Syndrome. I began to smile; I am sure I even said, “Halleluia.” The doctors were not smiling – they looked confused by my reaction. The outcome was the same, still incurable, terminal.
In my jubilation, I responded, “So you’re saying all we have is our faith?” The doctors looked at each other, I think in shock and said, “Yes.”
A pretty great place to be
“That is a pretty great place to be,” I told them. God had us, God had met me in my weeping, and shown His great love through His mercy. Henry’s diagnosis had changed from one of extreme pain, extreme discomfort throughout his life, to one of very limited pain.
Henry doesn’t receive pain the way we do. If I cut myself, I feel it. Henry doesn’t. A wasp stings me, I react, Henry does not. We have seen this countless times in his life. It is quite remarkable. The outcome remained, yet God’s mercy poured out on our family.
A miracle, an answer to prayer or a misdiagnosis – 99% certainty sure wasn’t 100%. Henry’s outlook went from a short life of extreme pain to a short life of joy, love, compassion and receiving God’s mercy. The timeline is the same, yet the experience is totally different.
Our family of seven – including Henry who is now 12 years old – are preparing for service to the community of Middle Lake, Sask., under the auspices of Village Missions Canada. We look forward to being a light for Christ to the community, seeing how God will use the unthinkable to guide others towards Him.
God is good, all the time!
Geoff and Riki are currently building their Ministry Partnership Team of people to walk alongside them as they prepare to be sent to serve the Lord. For more information or to get their ministry newsletters, email Lucas.geoff@outlook.com. The Lucas family needs Ministry Partners willing to give to their specific project (#2741) through Village Missions Canada. Would you consider being a contributor, so the Lucas family will have the financial support necessary to sustain them while serving the Lord? Their giving page is at give.villagemissions.ca/donate/missionaries/missionary-detail/a-lucas-geoff-and-riki
Geoff Lucas is a pastor with Village Missions, an alumnus of Nipawin Bible College and current graduate student of Horizon College & Seminary in Saskatoon. He and his family are preparing to serve the rural community of Middle Lake, Sask., once their Ministry Partnership Team is established.