Could your church use text messaging to save lives?
What do you do when someone apologizes for their behavior by telling you that their uncle committed suicide yesterday? One of our PastorsLine staff members, Lisa Aharon, also works as a university English teacher. Several weeks ago, after their morning quiz, one of her students came up to her. The student told her she thinks she may have done poorly because her uncle committed suicide out of the blue yesterday. Asked why she was even in class today, this serious student replied: “But it is English.” Gently holding the student’s hand (with her permission), Lisa quietly asked questions to allow the student to tell her story. It seems the uncle, a businessman, was depressed at his financial situation during the ongoing pandemic. He leaves behind grieving parents and relatives. At first, the student was trembling all over. Just a few minutes later, the student was calm. She was able to rejoin class and work well, putting aside her grief for the moment. This is the power of human contact. I