Sustained by hope Belongings of former missionary, family are i

Few people make it through life without suffering at least one heartache that wrenches at the gut like nothing ever felt before. But Jennifer Noble of Cape Girardeau and her three children have felt pain and anguish that still tear at their souls.

Noble and her family lived as missionaries in New Zealand until a decade ago. But coming back to the states wasn't an easy adjustment -- and one that would ultimately split their world apart.

She and her husband had gone to New Zealand as self-supported missionaries through Maranatha Ministries working secular jobs to support their own family and contribute to the church. So when her husband's company went into receivership, they were left as Americans in a tiny foreign country without an income.

Her parents provided them money to fly back home, but the airlines only permitted them one duffle bag apiece. So they left everything else they owned in a storage crate hoping to quickly make enough money to have it shipped back home.

But the money never came.

Devastated by flood

On July 4, 1993, the family returned to Missouri to see the region had been devastated by the flood. There were few jobs to be found and the pressures were too great. Noble and her husband divorced.

"We had no home of our own and my husband had been unemployed and all of our belongings were sitting in a crate 10,000 miles away," she said.

After years of living without things precious to her, Noble isn't interested as much in preserving the past as she is in rebuilding a life of hope and health and happiness. She longs for stability and security, for herself and her children, Justin Hines, 24, Erin Hines, 23, and Emily Hines, 20. You can hear the longing in her voice as she talks about how the family has coped in the meantime.

While other people can pull out photographs and memorabilia from their childhood, Noble and her children have nothing. Their belongings -- clothes, books, photographs and heirlooms -- have been stored 10,000 miles away for the past 10 years.

"We all know what it's like to lose something," she said. But the family made the decision that God is the most important person in life. "And as long as you have him, then you have everything you truly need."

But there are some things that the family still longs for. Now, 10 years later, their belongings are still intact and the storage company has waived $10,000 in fees. Noble needs another $5,000 to pay for shipping costs. The money has to be raised by July 15.

Three area churches where Noble has friends are helping to raise the money. All tax-deductible donations should be made to Father's Arms Fellowship, 1400 Main St., Scott City, Mo. 63780. The church will then send the money to the shipping company.

Everything left in storage is a link to Noble's past -- and her children's. "We've cried a lot of tears over this," she said. There isn't a day that has gone by that one of the children isn't reminded of something in that crate, she said.

"We were a family. We know that our self-worth isn't defined by material things and yet no one can deny that there are things in life that we cherish that are beyond any monetary value."

Family heirlooms

The crate contains family heirlooms like photographs, her father's military uniform, toys she'd collected for her children, needlepoint and china that has been passed down to her daughters and a library of books that has been used for home-schooling. "We only kept things that were meaningful to us. If they are auctioned off in Auckland I doubt it would mean very much to anyone else, but to us they are priceless."

In the 10 years since leaving New Zealand, Noble and her children have never given up hope of getting their things back. "Although life can be difficult at times, and we face great challenges we know that we're never alone," she said. "God has not abandoned us. He has always been faithful. He has always been merciful. Knowing this gives us the courage to persevere with hope."

More depth to ministry

And her music has helped her through some rough spots. People tell her it's soothing and peaceful, she says.

But the words ring true when she sings.

"There is a peace we find in learning to trust in someone greater than ourselves and that is what causes me to sing. I wanted to share the hope that I've been given. Music is a great tool to use in doing that. It crosses all those boundaries of spiritual condition, age, race or gender."

Much of Noble's ministry today has more depth than it once did. "It's more honest because of the experiences I've had," she said. Her brokenness makes her vulnerable, but "people need to see something that's genuine and real," she said. "There's a kind of confidence that comes with actually having lived what you're talking about."

For now, Noble works full-time at Touch of Grace and continues to seek a ministry position in the area. She performs at Grace Cafe and River Ridge Winery in Commerce.

There are days when the pain of her family's loss is overwhelming, and days when she's filled with great joy and God's love. Noble knows the deep valleys of despair but she also knows about faithfulness.

For several years, she worked in benevolence ministry at Central Presbyterian Church in Clayton, Mo., where she screened applicants who needed money for housing, food or medical expenses. Many of those people told great stories of loss.

"There are times in life when we're given the opportunity to give out of our own need," she said. "I wanted to be a part of the restoration process in other people's lives.

"Life is at it's best when we're helping each other. I've been blessed with love and supportive good friends. People working together with God make miracles happen."

And even if the belongings don't get shipped back, Noble knows that God will support her. "He continues to be faithful and merciful," she said.

Things are just things, she says. "We all know that when we leave this earth we won't take anything with us."

ljohnston@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126