My heart is so heavy today. It has been a hard day. I weep for those who do not know the Lord. I weep for those who are living in great darkness and do not even recognize the light. They do not know the Lord our God, our Saviour, our Redeemer. They have no joy, no hope ... only pain. I also weep for those who do know the Lord but do not understand that He is the Most High, the mighty God, the King of Kings. There is so much darkness and it would overwhelm us if we did not have the light living within us.
This morning, a woman came to my door with her mother and her 2 year old child. My first thought was: they are all so malnourished that it looks like they haven't eaten for months. There were also many flies and a terrible stench. I asked what the problem was and the mother took the shawl off her upper body. Her right arm and hand were rotting. She had a burn from her fingers nearly to her elbow. It had been over a week ago that the burn had taken place and gangrene must have set in. And how can a full grown lady get such a burn?
The answer came from the grandmother, who wouldn't stop smoking her pipe: "She is married to a bad man and he has done this to her."
I didn't ask all the details. I didn't want to know but the darkness was there. They had come from a long distance away for they heard that there were foreigners here that may be able to help. The woman is also about 8 months pregnant. I prayed for them but they didn't stop to listen.
The details are too many to relay but to make a long story short, our team leaders took her to the town of Chagni along with our guard and Askale (Ethiopian lady who would be able to get her into the clinic there). They were unwilling to treat her and said she needed surgery (amputation most likely) in Bahir Dar but she was unwilling to have that done. So they plan to return but had trouble finding a hotel to stay in.
Who wants to take in someone like that? It will be a miracle if she gets accepted onto a bus in the morning. And so, unless the Lord intervenes, she will die both physically and spiritually. I was overwhelmed as I thought about the darkness, fear, lostness, and pain. Will this woman trust the Lord Jesus? Pray that the Lord's will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Numerous others came to my door for different medical needs and my soul grew heavy. So much pain. My friend Eygachuk, (who lost a baby to TB last year) was baptized a few months ago and she seems to have a never ending life of difficulty. Her young son was kicked in the head by a donkey and they do not know if he will live.
Pray that the church will step into some of these "hopeless" situations and ask the Lord to show His power. The Gumuz know all about the power of darkness, but we fear they do not truly understand the greater power of our heavenly Father. Pray that His power would be so evident to them that they are no longer drawn to the darkness.
So I cried today. I cried at all the pain I saw. I cried at the meaningless of life for those who do not know Jesus. I cried because I was tired and because I knew my husband was tired and needed to hand the baton of teaching on. But the Lord brought me two dear visiting missionary ladies who sat and prayed with me through the pain and this was a gift. There are days that life in Gesses seems natural and good and there are other days when it is extremely difficult. This was one of those difficult days. Praise God that His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness.
This morning, a woman came to my door with her mother and her 2 year old child. My first thought was: they are all so malnourished that it looks like they haven't eaten for months. There were also many flies and a terrible stench. I asked what the problem was and the mother took the shawl off her upper body. Her right arm and hand were rotting. She had a burn from her fingers nearly to her elbow. It had been over a week ago that the burn had taken place and gangrene must have set in. And how can a full grown lady get such a burn?
The answer came from the grandmother, who wouldn't stop smoking her pipe: "She is married to a bad man and he has done this to her."
I didn't ask all the details. I didn't want to know but the darkness was there. They had come from a long distance away for they heard that there were foreigners here that may be able to help. The woman is also about 8 months pregnant. I prayed for them but they didn't stop to listen.
The details are too many to relay but to make a long story short, our team leaders took her to the town of Chagni along with our guard and Askale (Ethiopian lady who would be able to get her into the clinic there). They were unwilling to treat her and said she needed surgery (amputation most likely) in Bahir Dar but she was unwilling to have that done. So they plan to return but had trouble finding a hotel to stay in.
Who wants to take in someone like that? It will be a miracle if she gets accepted onto a bus in the morning. And so, unless the Lord intervenes, she will die both physically and spiritually. I was overwhelmed as I thought about the darkness, fear, lostness, and pain. Will this woman trust the Lord Jesus? Pray that the Lord's will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Numerous others came to my door for different medical needs and my soul grew heavy. So much pain. My friend Eygachuk, (who lost a baby to TB last year) was baptized a few months ago and she seems to have a never ending life of difficulty. Her young son was kicked in the head by a donkey and they do not know if he will live.
Pray that the church will step into some of these "hopeless" situations and ask the Lord to show His power. The Gumuz know all about the power of darkness, but we fear they do not truly understand the greater power of our heavenly Father. Pray that His power would be so evident to them that they are no longer drawn to the darkness.
So I cried today. I cried at all the pain I saw. I cried at the meaningless of life for those who do not know Jesus. I cried because I was tired and because I knew my husband was tired and needed to hand the baton of teaching on. But the Lord brought me two dear visiting missionary ladies who sat and prayed with me through the pain and this was a gift. There are days that life in Gesses seems natural and good and there are other days when it is extremely difficult. This was one of those difficult days. Praise God that His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness.
PTL, that the little boy appears to be doing well this morning! So sad about this poor lady...praying for Rolf as he picks them up today.
ReplyDeleteLove, Mom