Incredible Needs

How can I tell you all that has happened in the last month
in Africa?  Impossible without a few
hours and a bottomless cup of coffee. 
From Swaziland to Mozambique (which was a day to enjoy the ocean and the
most amazing shrimp you will ever see) to South Africa to Uganda to
Ethiopia.  What a journey.  All along the way Marcia and I found
ourselves in the presence of need.  Need
from the widows, orphans, pastors, and staff in Swaziland.  Need from the hurting American team members in
South Africa and the grieving parents across the ocean.  Need from the orphans of Uganda and
Ethiopia.  Need before us, beside us, and
behind us.  Overwhelming need.  Relentless need.  Insurmountable need.

But in every situation of need Marcia and I found God’s grace
and provision.  He met us in our personal
need – for strength, for wisdom, for discernment, for comfort in our hearts as
we faced it all together. We needed each other and the Lord used us together.

In one place in Uganda I came face to face with incredible
need.  One community I traveled to is
called Rapha.  To get to this small
village very close to the Nile we drove on not much more than a foot path deep
into the lush green bush, passing many huts and small farm plots of banana, manioc
and maize.  We passed people struggling
under heavy loads and children scampering out of their huts to see a car
driving by.  Cries of “Malungu” (white
man) came through all the green vegetation.

Once we arrived, we met some wonderful children and two
brave “parents” all living in an orphanage. 
I was shy to take video in the vacuum of relationship so I can’t show
you all I saw. But I can tell you about Bosco and Juliet, the husband and wife
who seek to take care of 44 children living in this jungle outpost with little
to no resources.  Both with beautiful
smiles and strong faith, Bosco limps with a cane from an accident that broke
his knee-cap last year.  He has no money
for surgery but still works to father the children and eek out a living raising
some small crops and three pigs on the land. 
Juliet is his young wife who teaches the children about Jesus but slumps
some under the heavy load of responsibility. 

22 children live in dark rooms the size of my bedroom with
dirt floors and no electricity.  Tattered
mosquito nets hang from the teetering bunks that sleep two children to each mattress.  Outside the fire smolders from cooking the
porridge for the days meal.  One top need
from these hard working people is for medical supplies.  They travel far for medical care and the
children are often sick in these conditions.

The good news is that a church in the US has agreed to
sponsor this small community.  They come
to visit in a few days and will bring some much needed supplies and encouragement.  I went many other places I might be able to
tell you about in the coming days.

While Marcia and I are drained from the work of meeting
needs while we were in Africa we know there are those here around us in our own
community of family and friends that are also in need at this time.  I know the Lord sees each of us in our need
and knows our hearts.  He has not
forgotten us.