Encouragement
PORTUGAL AND SUICIDE
I just returned from a lovely vacation in Lisbon alone and a one-day tour to Cintra and Cabo da Roca with six people from Spain. I knew no one in Portugal before leaving Canada but met wonderful, interesting people day after day. There were divine appointments. I shared the gospel with them as much as possible. Most Portuguese speak English as it is compulsory to learn it in school.
Lisbon is a city for artists and art lovers. Brazilian musicians entertain in the squares and in front of cafes. Contemporary art galleries, pastry shops, and the odd bookstore are found along the tiled, quaint streets in the artsy quarters. I have enjoyed wandering, stopping to look in stores, and talking to other tourists and the locals.
Two Portuguese artists I met in a coffee shop were going to a vernissage just down the street and invited me to join them. I accepted and it was a delight.
The theme of the Portuguese artist’s exhibit was “Lemons”. Many years ago when I was going through a difficult time, the Lord challenged me through a poster of a lovely glass pitcher of lemonade with lemons around the base. The caption was, “When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade”. I was challenged once again. How timely and kind of God to speak to me through an art exhibit, in an artsy area of Lisbon. Before leaving Canada I was experiencing a few very difficult life-changing challenges.
Another day I spent several hours at MAAT, Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology by the River Tagus admiring the abstract works of Vivian Suter, an Argentine-Suisse artist who lives in Guatemala. I was inspired to continue with my abstract painting when I returned. I pondered the beauty I had just seen as I slowly walked on the riverfront to my city tour bus stop.
On our day tour the next day, the tour van mounted the road to Cabo da Roca the most westerly point of Europe. It was very windy. Before us was the Atlantic Ocean, agitated white-capped waves rolled in crashing onto the shore below. We were standing on a cliff top. A railing was there for our protection. I peered gingerly over the railing. It was a long way down.
The tour guide told me that before we came a Portuguese man had committed suicide. The police were there and had retrieved the body. He also said that people come here to commit suicide. We agreed that it was too bad that we couldn’t speak to him before he did it. I could have told him about Jesus’ love for him. It is becoming expensive to live in Portugal, and younger people are leaving to live in less expensive countries. Maybe this is the reason for some of the suicides.
In Lisbon the next day I spoke about the suicide to a young woman in an art gallery. I shared with her that I was going to commit suicide when I was 23 years old because of a man who was a womanizer who had betrayed me.
During the conversation. she said to me,
“I tried to commit suicide three months ago”.
We had a heart-to-heart conversation and I shared the gospel with her and gave her my small bible that I carried in my purse. She was so grateful for the bible. We exchanged email addresses and I hope to hear from her soon.
There are people all around us who are suicidal. Let us be sensitive to others when grocery shopping, getting gas, in doctor’s offices, pharmacies, restaurants, fast food places, and public toilets, and start conversations with people, asking the Lord to help us to do it. A kind word can change the course of a person’s life. It opens the door to tell him or her about Jesus or to give the person a tract with a phone number.
I hope to meet individuals in heaven who changed their minds about committing suicide because I spoke to them about Jesus and His saving love for them.
(C) Marolyn Tocker All rights reserved. Use With Proper Credits
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Marolyn~ This was encouraging and powerful - and so glad to get a few beautiful word pictures from your trip. HE is so very ABLE and we can be faithful to obey those small nudges from our wonderful Holy Spirit - someday we will realize the eternal impact of the small things our Lord urged us to do on a regular basis!!
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