Ate Cha - A Force of Joy

Tonight I attended a funeral service of a woman I had only met once. But, despite not really knowing her personally, her story and the testimony of the way she lived her life and loved others both challenged and inspired me. Charito or, as she was more commonly known around the office, Ate Cha, was one of the social workers at IJM from 2007 to early 2010. As several members of her IJM family went forward to give testimony to and celebrate Ate Cha’s life by sharing a Bible verse, funny story, or beautiful memory, it was clear that Ate Cha was a woman who loved Jesus. Almost without exception, each person who spoke mentioned the joy she exuded constantly. One of her friends/colleagues said that she was a “force of joy” who always had a smile on her face. She was described as a woman of faith, a woman of service, a woman of hope, and a woman of strength. Everyone said that she was like a mother to them and was always there to talk to or pray with. They said that she loved people because she loved Jesus.

Now, this, in of itself, is a remarkable testimony of a woman who loved the Lord. But what makes it even more remarkable and inspiring are the circumstances in her life in the midst of which she lived this way. On July 10, Ate Cha died after a long and difficult battle with cancer. But even up through the last few months of her life, she was loving and serving others. As an IJM social worker, Ate Cha would pour everything she had into the lives of her clients, girls who had been rescued from brothels and pimps. She would love them, pray for them, and encourage them as they healed, constantly trying to help them get to know her Jesus. In order to do this work, Ate Cha had to be separated from her husband. He was a pastor on another island and so they only got to see each other one weekend a month, if that. But Ate Cha knew that this was what God wanted her to do with her life. Even in the mist of her own pain and suffering, Ate Cha never lost her joy or peace. She lived a sacrificial life serving and loving others. When one of her friends asked her how she gets though each day with such a big smile on her face, she responded “because God is always with me.”

So, even though her friends are sad to say good-bye to her on Earth, they know that Ate Cha is dancing in heaven with her Lord. As Ate Cha’s husband reminded people at the end of the service, her favorite verse is Philippians 1:21 “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain”

As I rode home tonight, I couldn’t help but wonder, what would people say about me if I died? Do I point people to Jesus through the way I live my life? What would it look like if I loved people like that? I can’t help but feel like I have so much to learn about loving Jesus and loving people.

Lord, help me to put Your love on display in my life every day.