If you have been following my posts you may remember a few months ago I got an infected pimple on my chin, which swelled up to a big balloon size lump (see picture), after a week it finally popped and a fountain of pus came out (sorry about the description).
I have also come to realize why I am getting these things, as I never have this problem in Australia. There is so much dust here due to two months of dry weather, with no rain. So when you are walking along the road, with sweat pouring down your face and open pores due to the heat, and a big truck drives past, a heap of dust gets blown into your face, and no doubt into the open pores.
I realize I have been washing my face with just water instead of soap. My conclusion is the dust is causing these boils. So a big face scrub is now my nightly habit at the end of the day.
I also woke up at midnight last Friday with a pounding headache, which stayed all day. By midday on Saturday I decided I should check it up at the medical clinic, because it is rare for me to have a lasting headache, especially after taking panadol. After getting a pin prick and a little bit of blood out of me, it was confirmed that I had malaria. Luckily for me it was not so serious, so some tablets to stop it in its tracks was all that was needed. I do admit I spent the whole of Saturday lying on my bed with a headache, getting distressed at the loud radios and screaming children outside my bedroom.
Agnes and I have also been doing pre-marital counseling with Ron and Anne here every Monday night, which has been such a big blessing to both of us. Its great to sit with an older couple who have been married for many years, doing mission together and still very much in love, and have them guiding and encouraging us.
There are so many things that they have brought up that perhaps Agnes and I didn't give much thought to, so it has been such a blessing and so helpful to be able to talk about all these things.
Since I finished reading the whole bible last year, I have decided to spend my morning devotions this year immersed in the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I spend each morning just reading one chapter in great detail, trying to explore all the hidden little gems from a literature perspective, and I have just finished going through Matthew like this. I will then go through the book again from an emotional perspective, and also again looking at the implications from the book and what the application on my life would look like. It will most likely take a year just to go through the four Gospels like this.
But I have been struck again about the direct call to 'give it up' and follow Jesus. Especially going through the sermon on the mount, and the chapter on the sheep and the goats, I have been struck at how Jesus tells us to live in humility, compassion and generosity.
I live in a country surrounded by "the least of these" and I often wonder what this should mean for my life here. Sure I can run programs and invest in young people in well thought out activities to target social issues and so forth. But I am struck by the words Jesus uses "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in". And then Jesus direct connection to doing this for others, as doing it for Him "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters, you did for me".
Often I can realize that I can put up boundaries from the 'least of these' surrounding me in the local village. Even when I am walking along the villages here, I can still put up my own walls to people, due to the inconvenience it may place on me to be looking out for all of 'the least of these' types.
Three encounters bring this to mind in the last 2 weeks. The first one involves an old local man who walks around the village here, randomly searching for things in the bush, while often smelling of booze. The man is a tad crazy (although speaks very good English) and he is always running up to me, to greet me with a big smile. You could say he is the typical village idiot .. as he is often the laughing stock for many people.
This particular day he ran up to me just as I was reaching my home, and he started complaining about a pain he felt in his back because he was hit by a boda boda (motor bike). He also had some scabs and wounds on his back and chest from where he fell over. I was on my way home from town and I was feeling tired and just wanted to get back to my house and rest. There was a group of rough looking youth who were standing by and laughing at him (and us) as I talked to him about his accident (which didn't seem so bad). He then asked me to pray for him, which I said I would. He then bowed his head on the spot and waited for me, and I realized he wanted me to pray for him right there. At this point the group of youth were very interested, making comments and laughing. Oh but how could I refuse, so I stood there with my hand on his shoulder and everyone staring at us strangely as I said a prayer for him. Afterwards he thanked me and went on his way, but when I reached my home I felt restless in my heart. Here was a guy who could be considered as one of the 'least of these', and yet I had hurried on my way with a quick prayer for him so I could get home, when instead I could of invited him back to mine to maybe give him something for his wounds.
The feelings got the better of me, and I packed a small bag of disinfectant, antibacterial wipes, some tablets for sore muscles and a bottle of water.
I got on my bike to look for him, but to my disappointment, he was long gone.
I had lost my chance.
It made me realize that we should not hesitate when we feel a burden to reach out for someone, if you walk away, you will regret it later.
Another incident took place while Agnes and I were eating together at a local restaurant. When we eat at this particular place there usually is anther crazy man, smelling of booze, who sits and stares at us with a strange angry look on his face. This one time he kept staring at us so much that the restaurant owner chased him, and pushed him with quite some force out of the place. I remembered what I had read in Matthew and decided to offer to buy him some food. I was even willing for him to come and sit with us.
But it didn't go so well.
He seemed to get angry at me that I offered him food. Then I think he caught on to what I was saying and demanded that I buy him alcohol .. to which I replied that I would be happy to buy him something to eat and drink but I would not buy him alcohol. He didn't like that and when Agnes and I left the restaurant he spent the next 5 minutes following us from a distance, abusing us.
The last one was again a man who stopped me in the streets to shake my hand and talk. He reeked of something rotten, and he was missing an eye, and in its place was a infected looking, pus dripping, cavity. This guy got right into my face so I could smell his breath, as he asked where I came from and what my name was. I made it a point to stand there, with him holding my hand, and to give him a bit of time, no matter how awkward, disturbing and smelly it was. Towards the end of our conversation he looked at me directly and mumbled "God bless you friend, Jesus is love".
It is an encounter I will hold with me.
I don't tell these stories to try and paint a picture of me as a saint. In fact the opposite. I am a broken sinful person who still has selfish desires to look away and keep walking. But I remember I have a great God who didn't look away and turn from me. Reminding myself of that helps me to look towards the 'lowest of the low', even when there still is great room for improvement in how I treat them.
I also realize that reaching out to the 'least of these' is often messy and scary. It is not always a nice clean fairy tale story, as with the case of the angry man at the restaurant, but I keep reminding myself of Jesus, and I do this by reading about his life in the Gospels.
Lastly, we have finally got rain here after two very dry and dusty months. Yesterday the heavens opened up and showers poured down, much to the relief of many people. I look forward to the rainy season, and then to when the mud gets too much and I start looking forward to the dry season again haha.
Life does go on.
God bless
Three encounters bring this to mind in the last 2 weeks. The first one involves an old local man who walks around the village here, randomly searching for things in the bush, while often smelling of booze. The man is a tad crazy (although speaks very good English) and he is always running up to me, to greet me with a big smile. You could say he is the typical village idiot .. as he is often the laughing stock for many people.
This particular day he ran up to me just as I was reaching my home, and he started complaining about a pain he felt in his back because he was hit by a boda boda (motor bike). He also had some scabs and wounds on his back and chest from where he fell over. I was on my way home from town and I was feeling tired and just wanted to get back to my house and rest. There was a group of rough looking youth who were standing by and laughing at him (and us) as I talked to him about his accident (which didn't seem so bad). He then asked me to pray for him, which I said I would. He then bowed his head on the spot and waited for me, and I realized he wanted me to pray for him right there. At this point the group of youth were very interested, making comments and laughing. Oh but how could I refuse, so I stood there with my hand on his shoulder and everyone staring at us strangely as I said a prayer for him. Afterwards he thanked me and went on his way, but when I reached my home I felt restless in my heart. Here was a guy who could be considered as one of the 'least of these', and yet I had hurried on my way with a quick prayer for him so I could get home, when instead I could of invited him back to mine to maybe give him something for his wounds.
The feelings got the better of me, and I packed a small bag of disinfectant, antibacterial wipes, some tablets for sore muscles and a bottle of water.
I got on my bike to look for him, but to my disappointment, he was long gone.
I had lost my chance.
It made me realize that we should not hesitate when we feel a burden to reach out for someone, if you walk away, you will regret it later.
Another incident took place while Agnes and I were eating together at a local restaurant. When we eat at this particular place there usually is anther crazy man, smelling of booze, who sits and stares at us with a strange angry look on his face. This one time he kept staring at us so much that the restaurant owner chased him, and pushed him with quite some force out of the place. I remembered what I had read in Matthew and decided to offer to buy him some food. I was even willing for him to come and sit with us.
But it didn't go so well.
He seemed to get angry at me that I offered him food. Then I think he caught on to what I was saying and demanded that I buy him alcohol .. to which I replied that I would be happy to buy him something to eat and drink but I would not buy him alcohol. He didn't like that and when Agnes and I left the restaurant he spent the next 5 minutes following us from a distance, abusing us.
The last one was again a man who stopped me in the streets to shake my hand and talk. He reeked of something rotten, and he was missing an eye, and in its place was a infected looking, pus dripping, cavity. This guy got right into my face so I could smell his breath, as he asked where I came from and what my name was. I made it a point to stand there, with him holding my hand, and to give him a bit of time, no matter how awkward, disturbing and smelly it was. Towards the end of our conversation he looked at me directly and mumbled "God bless you friend, Jesus is love".
It is an encounter I will hold with me.
I don't tell these stories to try and paint a picture of me as a saint. In fact the opposite. I am a broken sinful person who still has selfish desires to look away and keep walking. But I remember I have a great God who didn't look away and turn from me. Reminding myself of that helps me to look towards the 'lowest of the low', even when there still is great room for improvement in how I treat them.
I also realize that reaching out to the 'least of these' is often messy and scary. It is not always a nice clean fairy tale story, as with the case of the angry man at the restaurant, but I keep reminding myself of Jesus, and I do this by reading about his life in the Gospels.
Lastly, we have finally got rain here after two very dry and dusty months. Yesterday the heavens opened up and showers poured down, much to the relief of many people. I look forward to the rainy season, and then to when the mud gets too much and I start looking forward to the dry season again haha.
Life does go on.
God bless
Great stories! Precious, thank you for sharing honestly.
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