We came home this afternoon totally exhausted. We arrived at Balkuy for the morning worship and in minutes we were bombarded with one problem after another. First two young kids were laying down on grass mats in the back of the church. They were burning up with fevers and needed to get to the clinic.
Then Micah and I looked around and did not see the youth pastor, Paul, so we asked where he was. Micah ended up going to his house to talk and pray with him. His mother in-law was taken to the hospital and she is in need of surgery. His 7 year old daughter came to church crying because she had not eaten in a few days because both mom and dad have been at the hospital.
The oldest man in the church is in need of a hernia operation but he left the clinic because he did not have money for the operation and he was scared. Pastor Boureima’s arm still needs to be set, but the break is a difficult one the doctor is not sure he can do it. Larry is going with him Monday morning to see what the options are.
At the end of the service we told them that all of these problems were actually good. It tells us that we are on the right track and that the people are doing God’s work and doing it well, and that there is one who is not pleased.
Considering how much I complain about my own petty problems, I am really convicted when I read about the overwhelming challenges that Alliance international workers and their national partners face daily. Let's commit to pray for their protection, encouragement, and enpowerment as they push back the darkness around the world.
