Saturday, August 28, 2010

Remembering Tom Little

“And I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord. Yes, says the Spirit, they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.’” ~ Rev. 14:13

I want to write to you about our friend, Tom Little. It’s hard knowing where to start, so let me begin by telling you that Tom came from a small pleasant town in upstate New York. His father was an accomplished doctor, and Tom had a first rate education from Tufts University. He and Libby had every opportunity to live a comfortable, privileged upper-class life in the United States. Instead they chose to make their home in Afghanistan. For a ridiculously low salary, Tom worked at all aspects of eye care, from grinding lenses and dispensing eye drops to performing operations and setting up hospitals and clinics. He traversed the country’s rugged terrain, hiking for days, to reach those most in need. Along with his devoted wife, Libby, they raised their three daughters in Afghanistan. Communist and Taliban regimes did not deter them. They spoke the language, observed the customs and ate the food. They chose to live in Afghanistan because they loved the people there. They lived in Afghanistan because Christ called them to do so. They did not visit Afghanistan. They visited the United States. Their home was Afghanistan.

Tom was an optometrist. In 2008, he graduated from the Advanced Standing International Program at the New England College of Optometry, where he also served as adjunct faculty of the college. During that time, Tom and Libby stayed in a small house in Hopkinton while he worked on his degree. That is how I met him. Tom and Libby chose to attend a small Methodist Church called Grace in Hopkinton. They chose to gift our tiny congregation with their immense, understanding hearts and humble, gentle spirits. We offered them a church home for a small portion of their Christian journey.

We were blessed by Tom’s preaching at Grace. He spoke to us about forgiveness, and the great gift of God’s pardon for us. He spoke about the struggle to embrace that gift, and warned us about the amazing things that happen when we open our hearts to the transformational love Christ offers! He shared his work in Afghanistan with us, and we all ran out to read The Kite Runner hoping to glimpse the world he described.

Tom was a Christian: a follower of Christ. That’s why he lived in Afghanistan. He had a degree from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. When Christ called him to devote his life to the Afghan people, it didn’t matter to Tom that their religion differed from his. What did matter was that Christ called him to be their friend, to give them sight, and to heal their wounds. Tom didn’t impose his faith on anyone, Afghans or Americans. He simply lived it out in their midst. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and longsuffering: Saint Paul may have written about the fruits of the spirit, but Tom Little truly lived and shared them with the world.

The people at Grace were blessed to know Tom and Libby Little. During the two short years I was privileged to be their pastor, they showed me the power of Christ in the most meaningful and tangible ways I have ever known. Tom’s most concrete legacy may be the NOOR hospital he envisioned and built, but it will never overshadow the hundreds of Afghans he trained, the thousands of Afghans he treated, and the model of true Christian living he offered the world. I have truly been blessed by Tom and Libby Little.

I thank God for the life and legacy of Tom Little. May he rest in peace in Afghanistan, the home Christ gave to him.

In Grace and Peace,

Pastor Leigh

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