"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest" Matt. 9:36-38

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Oh to be fed

     For those of you who know me well, you probably wouldn’t be surprised if I dedicated an entire blog entry relating what I eat here.  Seeing that my dad would be the only person remotely interested and I’ve given him the 411 on skype, I’ll spare you the details and talk about Rwanda.

      Last week, Sarah and I were able to attend the regional AIM conference in Rwanda.  I was a little anxious about taking the night bus there and back and being told a bomb went off several weeks prior on the same bus line as we were taking killing three people only perpetuated those feelings.  It's also not encouraging when Ugandans tell you it's not safe to ride the night bus.  Anyway, prayer and Nyquil got me through it.

    The conference was just what I needed.  It was good to get away and have a break from the constant demands at GSF.  More than that, it was so good to be fed spiritually.  At the GSF church, I can hardly understand the Ugandan pastor and we sing songs like, “Move to the right in the name of Jesus, move to the left in the name of the Lord and shake that body that the good Lord gave you”.  I love the fellowship with the kids, but it can be very difficult to grow spiritually.  The speaker at the conference was challenging and encouraging talking about the sovereignty of God in difficult situations.  The topic preached on was so appropriate for the tragedy that was to come.  The last day of the conference I got a phone call from one of the missionaries at GSF saying one of our special needs boys Emmanuel (9 years old) fell off his potty a couple days prior, was taken to the hospital, and within a day passed away.  This came as a complete shock.  It was hard to swallow the sad news, especially over the phone and a country away.  This was a harsh reminder that our future is God's hands and nothing can thwart this plans.  Death has its sting, but is comforting to know Emmanuel’s broken body has now been made whole and he rests with the Lord.  What better ending is there than this?

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