A lot has been going on here in Uganda and back in the US. Of course, I can't imagine that anyone hasn't heard about the tragedies in Florida. So many lives taken in such a short period of time. There is really nothing I can say about those events because they are all just horrifying and sad. While I wish there was something to say, there's not and those tragedies aren't the primary reason for me writing, but I couldn't just start typing and ignore such obvious loss. We continue to pray for all of our friends in America. I also pray that God will reveal himself to Muslims all over this world. Unfortunately, like it or not, the beliefs of Islam do stand against women, homosexuals, and all others that are deemed "infidels." The religion does condone the killing of infidels and it isn't just the radicals. If you believe in Jesus Christ, the greatest help you can give is to pray for Muslims to see the truth of Jesus Christ and the One True God. When they see a God of peace, they will no longer need to die or kill infidels for greater blessings from Allah. It is not rare for a Muslim to come to know Jesus through dreams or other visions. I personally pray for the Lord to reveal himself in this way because it works when many other forms of evangelism do not.
Now, on to my original reason for posting. While such big events have been happening, there are other things all over the world. The longer I'm around, the smaller the world seems. In Tennessee, a friend posted about a young man in a motorcycle accident. That young man had traumatic injuries and was in ICU. He was not expected to recover but today he moved out of ICU. He came off the breathing tube. He is making a recovery.
In another state, Alabama, another person had a different ending. About a month ago, the Ugandan ex-pat community began praying for Myron West. He was a missionary here in Uganda with his wife and children. He developed malaria. It wasn't even cerebral malaria (the more serious kind). The malaria developed into pneumonia and next thing we knew, he was on life support here in Kampala. He finally was "well enough" that he was flown to the US on June 5th or 6th (I'm not certain which day). The outlook wasn't good. According to doctors in the US, Myron had sustained brain damage during a period of time that he was not on life support and they didn't expect him to recover. Today, he went to be with the Lord.
Others I know are still in a battle. They don't know yet what God's plan is, but they fight for life because we want it as long as possible. For a week, my own daughter has been fighting a bacterial infection in her hand. While it seems simple enough, we all know that an infection can go from simple to complex without much warning. What seems so mild can become deadly in a short amount of time. Without knowing what type of infection or how she got it, of course it would be easy to be in fear. We're in a third world country. We don't want to over-react, but we also don't want to minimize the situation or ignore it.
The only peace we have comes from knowing the Lord is control. He is in control in every place at every moment. He has numbered our days and he won't be surprised when the time is up. Of course, it is always astonishing to hear how a loss of life can bring so many people to the Lord. I've already heard stories about how Myron's story is giving opportunity for sharing the Lord in Uganda and in the US. We have no way to know how many others will answer the call to serve the Lord as a missionary because of Myron's story. Yes, it's sad, but it's also inspirational. There is no greater love than to lay down one's life. I'm certain that he never saw it coming, but laying down his life is exactly what he did. Nothing is wasted by our Loving Father.
So, I still wonder, why does one person live and another dies. There is no rhyme or reason, at least not to our understanding. We simply trust the Lord and remain grateful for every single moment that we have with our loved ones. This is not our home, but the pain of a loved one going home before us is still very real.
And nobody likes to talk or think about the fact that some people die before they ever hear about the love of Jesus Christ. It isn't really a popular discussion in the US and many other places. But, if you really believe what the Bible says, you HAVE to be compelled to share that information with others. It can't be next time, or when the time is right, or what ever. The time you're waiting for maybe too late. Live your life in a way that shares Jesus with everyone you meet. You won't be perfect, but that's the best part. Nobody is perfect. If Jesus loves you, if Jesus died for you, he certainly loves everyone else as well. He certainly died for each person, because we are all equally unworthy on our own.
Friends, I can't explain it, but my heart rejoices with those that rejoice over healing and mourns with those that mourn over death.
Now, on to my original reason for posting. While such big events have been happening, there are other things all over the world. The longer I'm around, the smaller the world seems. In Tennessee, a friend posted about a young man in a motorcycle accident. That young man had traumatic injuries and was in ICU. He was not expected to recover but today he moved out of ICU. He came off the breathing tube. He is making a recovery.
In another state, Alabama, another person had a different ending. About a month ago, the Ugandan ex-pat community began praying for Myron West. He was a missionary here in Uganda with his wife and children. He developed malaria. It wasn't even cerebral malaria (the more serious kind). The malaria developed into pneumonia and next thing we knew, he was on life support here in Kampala. He finally was "well enough" that he was flown to the US on June 5th or 6th (I'm not certain which day). The outlook wasn't good. According to doctors in the US, Myron had sustained brain damage during a period of time that he was not on life support and they didn't expect him to recover. Today, he went to be with the Lord.
Others I know are still in a battle. They don't know yet what God's plan is, but they fight for life because we want it as long as possible. For a week, my own daughter has been fighting a bacterial infection in her hand. While it seems simple enough, we all know that an infection can go from simple to complex without much warning. What seems so mild can become deadly in a short amount of time. Without knowing what type of infection or how she got it, of course it would be easy to be in fear. We're in a third world country. We don't want to over-react, but we also don't want to minimize the situation or ignore it.
The only peace we have comes from knowing the Lord is control. He is in control in every place at every moment. He has numbered our days and he won't be surprised when the time is up. Of course, it is always astonishing to hear how a loss of life can bring so many people to the Lord. I've already heard stories about how Myron's story is giving opportunity for sharing the Lord in Uganda and in the US. We have no way to know how many others will answer the call to serve the Lord as a missionary because of Myron's story. Yes, it's sad, but it's also inspirational. There is no greater love than to lay down one's life. I'm certain that he never saw it coming, but laying down his life is exactly what he did. Nothing is wasted by our Loving Father.
So, I still wonder, why does one person live and another dies. There is no rhyme or reason, at least not to our understanding. We simply trust the Lord and remain grateful for every single moment that we have with our loved ones. This is not our home, but the pain of a loved one going home before us is still very real.
And nobody likes to talk or think about the fact that some people die before they ever hear about the love of Jesus Christ. It isn't really a popular discussion in the US and many other places. But, if you really believe what the Bible says, you HAVE to be compelled to share that information with others. It can't be next time, or when the time is right, or what ever. The time you're waiting for maybe too late. Live your life in a way that shares Jesus with everyone you meet. You won't be perfect, but that's the best part. Nobody is perfect. If Jesus loves you, if Jesus died for you, he certainly loves everyone else as well. He certainly died for each person, because we are all equally unworthy on our own.
Friends, I can't explain it, but my heart rejoices with those that rejoice over healing and mourns with those that mourn over death.
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