In the midst of disease, pastor writes of hope
Monica Isley Lake County News Chronicle
Published Wednesday, December 24, 2008


The Rev. Donald Roberts


Christmas is recognized as a symbol of hope, both in personal lives and for the world in general.

Hope can also be found in the words of a man suffering from Lou Gehrig's Disease, a man who has lived many years beyond that normally expected. Words of Hope is a book about the personal journey of a man whose life took a twist he never expected.

The Rev. Donald Roberts is a 1967 graduate of Two Harbors High School. He went on to college to study business, then entered the seminary and was ordained a Lutheran minister. The same year as his ordination, he married his wife Bonnie, and the two of them raised three children in Mankato.


Twenty years later, he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease and, as might be expected, his life changed. He gradually lost control of his muscles, moving from a cane, to a walker, and then to a wheelchair. He went from being difficult to understand when speaking, to being understood only by his wife, to needing a letter board where he "points" to each letter with his eyes. He "speaks," one letter at a time.

"On the lighter side, this type of communication has advantages for my wife," he wrote in the forward to his book. "When she and I have arguments, she simply removes the board, leaving me speechless."

That sense of humor shows up through the dark moments, and keeps them bearable. His faith also sustains him, even though it doesn't provide all answers. He knows God didn't send his illness, but he also wonders why God doesn't answer his prayers for healing.

"I have come to believe that it is to teach us patience. Patience is a painful quality to learn. As a child, one of my expressions was, 'I hate to wait.' As an adult, I haven't changed much," he wrote.

It took patience, however, to write the forward to that book, one letter at a time. The rest of the book consists of single-page Scripture-cased devotions from those he has written for the monthly Bethlehem Lutheran Church newsletter in Mankato, from Feb. 15, 2002, to Aug. 1, 2008.

"Some are topical, some are seasonal, and some are born out of personal struggle. Those originating from personal struggle are those which have required me to evaluate what I really believe," he wrote in his forward.

Roberts' mother, Ruth Roberts, talked about her son this week in her home, with snow falling gently outside and touches of Christmas scattered throughout the house. She laughed at the little ironies of life, she teared up when talking about her son's poignant struggles, and through it all she spoke with pride of this man, her son, who has faced such tragedy and grown through it all.

"He knew he would eventually need a ventilator to breathe and he decided he didn't want that," she said. "But when the time came, he decided there was too much he didn't want to miss."

Roberts himself writes about the decision.

"I was not ready to leave my wife and children," he said. "While there are bad days on a ventilator, I have had many good days."

He saw his children graduate first from high school and then from college. He was present when two of them got married, and was able to help in the baptism of his first grandchild.

Besides being on a ventilator for seven years, Roberts has been on a feeding tube also. Because he can't chew and swallow, he misses out on the texture and taste of the nutrients he receives. It's those small things that can sometimes bother a person the most, his mother said.

"He loved coffee. So, his big moment of the week is when he gets his taste of coffee," Ruth Roberts said.

It happens during the days his wife isn't working at her four-day-a-week job with the school system. She brews a pot of coffee, waits until the temperature is cool enough for his mouth, then carefully helps him to take a small amount into his mouth. He can't swallow it, but he can taste it.

"He loses most of it," his mother said, "but at least he has a taste."

She brushed tears from her eyes at the poignancy of such a small enjoyment, and then smiled at the dearness of it.

Roberts, who once attended Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Two Harbors and who ministered to congregations as pastor in three other congregations, continues to minister. He continues to write his devotionals, one letter at a time. Now, he ministers to others who might have need of hopeful words through their own various illnesses with this book.

Words of Hope can be purchased through Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Two Harbors.

"How long, O Lord? Wilt thou forget me forever? How long wilt though hide thy face from me?" (Psalm 13:1)

To which Roberts ends his devotional: "Prayer, trust, praise--those are tools which God has given us. Let's use them."



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