I will never forget the day that I had the opportunity to meet Victor for the first time. It was not in a good situation, it was in a time when his marriage was about to break down. That day he was seeking help, and he came to us, because he learned that we were the new missionaries at the Seminary, and he felt that this was his last change to find someone to help him find a solution for his marriage. After talking for three hours, he seemed to be in peace and willing to find solutions with his wife. The next day both Victor and his wife came to see us, we ministered to them, and after a while, they made a commitment to start over again and work together for the Lord. For Victor and his wife, this was an answer from the Lord.

Seven months later, Victor's wife came to us again, but this time, it wasn't because they were having marriage problems. It was because Victor had been diagnosed with colon cancer. She couldn't believe that this could happen to them, after they had reconciled and were doing well in their marriage. Everything was now upside down in their lives. On the other hand, for Victor, this was a moment to reflect, and hear the voice of God: what did He want in their lives? What can he learned from this? After fighting cancer in Argentina for two years, Victor came to Bolivia toward the end of 2002. He was feeling much better but with lots of limitations because of a colostomy and a seriously damaged bladder. Nevertheless, he returned to his advanced studies at the Seminary; he wanted to finish his B.A. in Theology. During his studies, he was also pastoring a small church, in the countryside with predominantly Quechua speakers.His cancer was not cured; it was a latent threat to his life, but he remained fighting. Then we left for U.S./Puerto Rico assignment and left Victor and his wife Charito in the midst of this fight. When we came back in August, his situation was not promising but we encouraged them and the family. Then toward the end of September, the doctor's prognosis was that Victor only had a short period of time to live. It was hard for his wife as well as the rest of the family, but his goal to finalize his studies and help the church remained consistent. It was something to admire since he didn't stop for a minute, not even when he was in pain, he continued doing his job as pastor and also finished writing his thesis, which he was going to defend on October 15.

Because of his decline, the doctor recommended the Seminary to let Victor defend his thesis as soon as he could. Therefore, Seminary staff and director arranged an emergency date of October 5 at 7:00 p.m. Mario was traveling back to Bolivia after visiting churches in Cleveland, and I had the opportunity to be part of the jury. It was so emotional for all of us, to see Victor's effort, and to see how his voice tended to disappear, little by little; his shortness of breath was noticeable to the point of exhaustion, but he didn't give up, he was committed to go on until the end, and he did: he finished defending his thesis with dignity. For me it was a profound experience particularly to hear him defend in his thesis the role of women in ministry. His thesis was about the importance of allowing educated women who graduated from seminary to be senior pastors in charge of the church, for they are also just as competent and some times more competent than men.

Three days later, on Saturday, October 9, at 8:30 p.m. Mario received a call from another colleague, telling him that Victor has passed to the presence of our Lord. The family was in shock and they did not know what to do. Mario has hospice experience and decided to go to meet the family at the hospital to deal with the crisis and comfort the family and particularly his wife; there was much need, even to help guiding the family to prepare his funeral. It was sad for Mario, because in his mind memories came of the first time when Victor came seeking for help, and now, Mario had to prepare his funeral. But life has a beginning and end, and the only hope we have is eternal life in Jesus Christ. Victor is gone, but there are beautiful memories, that we and his brothers, sisters, and his wife Charito will never forget. Moreover Victor is not suffering, he is in a better place with the Lord. We now have to be there for Charito, his wife, who now has to find meaning in the midst of loss. She is convinced that God has called her also, to do his job, and she believes that she will continue working in the church that her husband started, and why not be the new pastor of that small congregation! She shared with me at the funeral that she is completely sure that she will continue to see the Lord's mercies just as God was with her husband Victor, He also will be with her also.

It is a good life because of Jesus!