“Death, oh, death, where is your sting today?”

 

July 8-July 13

God has answered many prayers in allowing me to travel to the outskirts of Siteki to visit a few families and witness situations in an incredibly poverty-stricken area.

At the first homestead we visited, I met with a man and his wife. They are jobless, without food, and the man is unable to provide for his family (and MANY children), especially with his poor health. He has TB and is HIV+, and because he has no food to take with his medicine, he is constantly in and out of the hospital battling sickness. It's a tortuous cycle. My heart broke into a million pieces. I read scripture and prayed over him, aloud to a God that he doesn't know. Draw near, Lord. A million questions and thoughts ran through my mind. Is He a Christian? “No, his whole family goes to church and they are all born again, but he does not. He is trying to believe.” And I revert back to three years ago when that phrase “trying” was so familiar to me. But now, I have to wonder, “What is holding you back? Would you be even slightly smiling if you had accepted the gift of grace from a beautiful and merciful Savior? Would you be able to experience joy in the one who created you, who called you from the ends of the earth? Would you be able to trust Him, take refuge in Him?” My heart poured out for this family. What more will it take for this man to be brought to His knees before the cross? God is waiting, arms wide open, saying, “Let me carry your burdens.” Why do we so often refuse to be lifted of the weight of this world?

The second homestead we visited, I met with a family consisting of a grandmother, her daughter, and many grandchildren. I came to find out that the grandfather (only in his late 40s or early 50s) was murdered just a few days before, and the police had found his body in the forest yesterday.  Apparently, he didn’t pay someone a debt he owed and he was met with revenge in the cruelest way. The daughter living with them was overwhelmed with devastation, especially because her father was the one paying for her school fees. Now, she will be forced to drop out. Not only has this family faced hardships of poverty and, now, a major family death, but there is suddenly a major struggle for the grandmother to feed all of these children living with her. She used to have job, but it was only temporary work. Now, she has nothing. I prayed for this family and begged God to give them comfort and provide for their immediate needs. I took the daughter aside and shared a few verses and words of encouragement for her, although I knew it was ONLY the Lord that could console her during this awful, awful time.

I was blessed by the people I met. Hearing an individual’s background, struggles, praises, prayer requests; the whole experience makes this life so real to me. It opens my eyes to the level of desperation among humanity. The need for a Savior who overflows with love, forgiveness, and comfort. The power found in the cross and His nail-pierced hands. The blood that flows down His innocent body. This is reality for me. Praying for these families and reading Scripture over them revealed the Lord’s strength and power so extensively.  As often as I’ve seen poverty and heartbreaking situations, I will never grow accustomed to the pain and brokenness that lies within sub-Saharan African countries.

In addition to home visits, Rejoice (the girl I work side-by-side with) and I decided we would try doing our typical Ugandan Empower-A-Child program (games, singing and dancing, bible story, and prayer) at the preschool across the street. We were welcomed warmly when we went to introduce the organization a couple of weeks ago, and the teachers told us we could come back at any time. So, since ministry has been slow, we took them up on the offer. I knew it’d be completely chaotic since there are only 2 of us on the team right now and about 75 children at the preschool that we’d be leading. Boy, was I right. Haha. I discovered that they weren't super disciplined, but it honestly went better than I anticipated for it only being two of us. They have an issue with sharing, especially toys they don't have on a regular basis, like the soccer balls we brought. It turned into an outburst of violence: hitting, pinching, kicking, and biting. Soccer balls were an awful idea. The toys they’re used to were pathetic. They were literally trash; emptied juice boxes and bottle caps, which served as cars.

On a side note, I'm finally feeling more and more at home here. As I start to fall into a routine way of living here, I’m becoming more comfortable with living with Shiba, Treasure, and Po, and although Shiba has loved me and been ever so joyful since  Day #1, Treasure and Po are slowly warming up to me. Today, I found out that when classes start back up (I live on campus at a theological school where the lady I live with teaches), students play volleyball ALL the time. Granted, it's probably not a real volleyball and it's not sand.. haha. It's still volleyball and I'm excited for the fellowship and friendships that will grow out of it.

Every day gets a bit better than the day before. My heart pours out for these people. This country is dying before its own eyes. And I want to see God move mountains. Prayer, faith, trust, and the Gospel at its core will bring this nation back to its feet.

In Christ,

Jan Beisert