Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12
How often have we asked people how they are doing and gotten responses like, “I’m doing as well as can be expected”, “things have been better” or even “Somebody else always has it worse”?
This latter response is lumped in with the other two, because I think we sometimes say it but don’t really think about the reality of what we are saying. I think it is often a knee jerk response to the question.
That reality was made very vivid for me today. And I promise you that I cannot even write this to you with out tears. A couple that we used to go to church with, and now sponsor as missionaries in a Ugandan village, have been sending us updates. The area that they are in, just began a Corona Virus quarantine. On the surface we might be thinking “yeah, so what? We have been quarantined for two weeks”.
The difference is, our most impoverished population is wealthy by their standards.
In this Ugandan village the quarantine didn’t leave super centers open so that they could pick up more milk, bread, eggs or medicine. There are no super centers and for that matter there are no milk, bread, eggs or medicine. Their quarantine called for a complete closure of the marketplace. And residents are strictly confined to their homes. Our friend wrote to us about a woman who was about to give birth and she asked a man with a motorcycle for a ride to the hospital, the police beat them both for not complying with the quarantine.
Although some villagers attempt to have gardens, the gardens are outside their village. With a quarantine, that restricts them to their homes, they cannot get to their gardens. For us in America, with our little stockpiles of food and bathroom tissue, that’s not a big deal. But when the markets are closed and you can’t get to your gardens, there is an even more extreme shortage of food. For the people, in this Ugandan village, who are already living on the brink of starvation every day, there is no stockpile and one or two days without access to some form of sustenance causes death.
Most American homes have some form of bottled water and if not they have running water. In this Ugandan village the impoverished population has one muddy hole that the residents go to to obtain their drinking water. Guess what, not during a quarantine. And because they are already severely dehydrated, after only two days of quarantine people are already dying of dehydration.
When we drive by our local hospital there is a sign outside that says “Corona Virus cases use emergency room entrance only”. There are other entrances for everyone else. Whether we are going for a sore throat, broken ankle or some other more serious medical issue, we have access to medical care. We will argue back and forth over whether we should have a national health care plan or not. Yet the bottom line is, although it may cost us, we have health care and a means (no matter how meager) to pay for the care we need. Not in this Ugandan village. Our friend told us about a woman with an infection in her leg. An amputation would have cost $75.00 and she didn’t have the money for the surgery, so she died from the infection. By the time our friends found out about the woman’s need it was too late to help her and they literally stayed with the family and had to watch this woman die, for lack of $75.00 worth of medical care.
So, in an already bleak time in our own nation, why do I tell you these very sad state of affairs in this Ugandan village? I assure you it isn’t to make you more sad or anxious then you already were. Because God still reigns!
God’s desire is not that there would be this lack of water, hunger, illness and fear in this Ugandan village or anywhere else in the world for that matter. God’s desire was for us to live in the Garden of Eden, with no sadness, no illness, no pain, no shame and no heartache. When we chose sin over Him however, man was kicked out of the garden and we entered a world where the enemy (satan) has been ruling and running mankind, and the world, into the ground. The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy (The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10). But Jesus came to give us a more abundant life.
We may be tempted to ask, where is the “full life” for this Ugandan village?
He has sent abundance to this Ugandan village. That abundance comes in the form of love, peace, joy, caring, helping and praying hands, both in and through our missionary friends.
If we know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives, we are not exempt from physical hunger, thirst or even death. But the good news of Jesus Christ is that spiritually we will never hunger (Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst John 6:35). Spiritually we will not thirst (but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life John 4:14). And, spiritually, we will not die (Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26).
As followers of Jesus Christ, one day, we will live for all eternity in Heaven where there is no hunger, thirst, illness, pain, heartache or death. And, we will be in the company of those around us, whom we have been an example of Christ to, and who have come to know him. As well as our brothers and sisters who have come to know Him, through the Jesus that they are seeing in our missionary brothers and sisters right there in this Ugandan village.
Thank you Jesus, for the way that you are using this precious family and all missionaries through out the world. Father keep your hand of protection on them. And Lord, send down your love from heaven and from over here in the states to those brothers and sisters who sacrifice so much. Send it down ABUNDANTLY, Father.
Today I pray, because of the example of these missionaries and of others (whom we may know or support), that we would praise God for His deep love for us. I pray that we would praise Him for the way He sends that love out through missionaries like these. I pray that we would thank Him for the privilege of being a missionary for Him, right here where we live. And, I pray that we would embrace and desire to be used by God to love people, minister to people and reveal Jesus to them.
Church, this is a time when the world needs the love of Jesus that is in us. God asks “who will go for us” (Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8). Not necessarily who will go to this Ugandan village, but who will go to the grocery store for your elderly neighbor during this pandemic, who will go to the pharmacy for your immune difficient co-worker, who will be my hands and feet and hope during this pandemic…and long after.
Rise up Church it is time to say “Here I am Lord, send Me!
If you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, I pray that you would go to our Life Preserver page (https://forgiven-n-loved.com/life-preserver/) and pray the prayer that is outlined there. God desires to forgive and adopt you into His family (and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:18). He also wants to give you peace, joy and hope during this difficult time and those are good and perfect gifts flowing down from our Father in Heaven. (Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17).
Please pray this prayer and once you have, reach out to me at admin@Forgiven-N-Loved.com. I’d love to be in prayer for you.
Luv Ya!
