Outflow Story by Harvey and Karen DeFries
God is with us in good and bad, and He uses all circumstances for our good when we
love Him and let Him direct us.
Our year started out with Karen’s brother’s life ending in suicide. He had been in and
out of depression for 6 years, and a plant closing seemed to be more than he could
handle. He saw no way out. Karen had been through severe depression 26 years ago.
As a result, she came face to face with the fact that Jesus was, indeed, the Son
of God, and wanted her to love Him. She gave control of her life to Jesus, and
was able, with help, to use the depression to bring healing to her life. Her brother
could not. His death has stimulated Karen to take counseling courses to help others
in their emotional healing. God uses all the circumstances in our lives, good and
bad.
In the midst of the pain of his death, our Small Group at The Vine was there for us.
They prayed, brought meals, and offered support in many ways. In circumstances where
some people would have stayed away from church, we couldn’t wait to get there to be
buoyed up by our church family. Tears and hugs of comfort were shared freely.
Consolation from others whose lives have been touched by suicide were a tremendous
help. We knew the church was there to help us through it all. When Harvey’s Mom
passed away three weeks later at 86, we were again comforted and supported by our
Small Group. They are continuing in prayer for health problems in our family. Their
love for us is AMAZING.