The second best Easter ever - He's back!!!

Easter 2015 will probably remain the most moving Easter I have ever experienced!!!

Even before Easter 1973, when I visited the Tutankhamun exhibition as a little girl and was so impressed by the shimmering alabaster vessels that they had a lasting impact on my understanding of aesthetics. And Easter 2010, when I cycled for an hour through Berlin at night to attend the Easter service at the Gethsemane Church. Or the night service at Easter 2014... everything was impressive. But nothing as much as this Easter.

Easter this year was overshadowed by the fate of a friend, Matthias Beyer, who suffered a stroke a week earlier due to an aneurysm (dilated vessel in the brain). As the pressure in his brain continued to rise, the doctors had to open his head and at some point during the operation on Monday a week ago, Matthias„ brain stopped functioning. Not even “just" in a coma, but completely without function. As Matthias lives in the USA, but his parents and siblings live in Germany, the doctors decided to keep Matthias connected to life-support machines until his parents and sister arrived on Easter Saturday evening.

I have shared many things with Matthias - especially the intense grief after the death of his sister a few years ago. Although we are very different in temperament, a deep closeness and bond has grown between us. We had even considered setting up a company together. But we didn't have the €2,500,000 start-up capital. And as coaches, we occasionally exchange ideas with each other. As brothers and sisters, we pray for each other and encourage each other.

In the face of a friend who is on the brink of death or has already crossed it, Good Friday and Easter have taken on even more emotional weight. Sometimes it almost tore me apart with pain. And I just cried. I didn't want to lose a dear friend. Not now, at 32! And then again I felt hope, I prayed with hundreds of other people that God would give him back to us. I prayed that his parents wouldn't lose another child, his wife wouldn't lose her husband, his children wouldn't lose their father - and that I wouldn't lose a dear friend.

When praying for him, I sometimes thought of a picture I had in my mind when I prayed for him before the operation. I felt that God was telling me that he was installing a new operating system in his mind, with more strength and power than the previous one... And that the computer would shut down before the new system could be started. Again and again I saw Matthias sitting in the hospital bed in my mind's eye, looking around in his inimitable way, rather astonished and calm, wondering what was actually going on.

And again and again I have the Duet from Elijah by Mendelson Bartholdy between the widow and Elijah. The widow is desperate because her only son has died. Elijah prays to God. The widow asks him what this is about. „Does God want to do miracles among the dead?“ And Elijah cries out to God „Lord, let the soul of this child come back to him!“ This struggle between despair and hope, belief and unbelief moved me deeply. And I prayed again and again myself, „Lord, let this man's soul come back to him!“

Never before have I been able to understand the disciples and guess how they must have felt. Between despair, sadness and confusion about Jesus' promises, which did not fit at all with what was now true. Simply sad. And somewhere in spite of that - hope against all hope. This sadness, confusion - what about what God had (apparently) said.... and somewhere a spark of hope.

And then the shock when they heard about the resurrection. How can you believe something like that? That's not even possible! I can understand why the disciples couldn't believe it at first. Modern-day Thomas would say: „I can't believe it until I've seen a YouTube video of it!“

Shock from happiness. From mental overload in the face of incredible goodness. Just like I felt when I read the news on Facebook.

„The doctor came to talk to the family and to check Matthias„ condition. He gave Matthias specific instructions: “Thumbs up, squeeze my hand, let go of my hand!“ MATTHIAS DID ALL THIS ON PURPOSE! I wouldn't be posting this if it wasn't totally amazing and wonderful."

Excuse me, what happened? I read it several times to even realise it! Then I slowly realised... Matthias is back. His brain is working again. He is back. Really back. The news is still too new, the doctors can't say anything definitive about the further process yet. But it's just unbelievably wonderful. He's back!

(The picture on the right is older, but simply beautiful and fitting).

The best Easter ever for me!

Ok. The best in my lifetime. The second best of all time!

Incidentally, the family now has a high financial burden due to loss of earnings and hospital costs. Friends have a Find for all those who would like to support Matthias and his family.

My offer: If you want, you can use the English LEA online course for a better life free of charge. I ask for a donation for the fund. Either in the amount of the course fee or whatever is possible for you. The course starts on Friday.