Thursday 12 August 2010

Good Bye Pauline

It has been a fortnight of bad and sad news and I hope that it all comes to an end soon.

This evening I learned of the death of one of my classmates, Pauline Bindra.

Pauline was a wonderful woman with a clear missionary vision. She had a wonderful sense of humour, a cheeky grin, a heart for helping others and an intense love for her husband and family.

I met Pauline at Newbold College in 2005 when I was studying theology but it wasn't until the following year, when sitting next to her in class that I really got to know her. I learned that she first enrolled at Newbold back in the 1960s when food was grown in the school's own farms and when there were very strict rules about relationships between men and women and when everyone had to be in their dorms at an hour that would not be tolerated in the modern world.

Back then Pauline didn't have the stomach for it and, from what she said to me, toleration for that kind of rule keeping never changed. She was a free spirit but she also loved God dearly.

Sadly, after she graduated, our lives drifted apart and she continued her business, supported her family and worked on her ministry.

In the last few months, she cropped into my mind on more than one occasion. In fact, she was frequently on my mind.

I guess that, with a more acute sense of God, I might have understood that he was prompting me to pray for her or even to contact her.

I understand that Pauline had been ill and that, while having surgery she suffered a fatal brain haemorrhage.

Pauline's memory will remain with me and the impact that her life has had on mine, will continue to influence me.

I am grateful that I had the opportunity to meet Pauline and to get to know her.

I pray that one day we will meet again.

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