in the heat of things

these past couple of days have been hot.

hot, hot, hot!

it's supposed to have reached a peak of 42oC yesterday afternoon, but being american, i didn't know what that meant. doing the conversions in my head:

107oF!

is that even possible??

so it didn't help that a lot of walking needed to be done around the masoyi community; yesterday and today marked my first days going on home-based care (hbc). while having done some research on the system and structure of hbc before coming out here, i must say, it was an experience. what kind? i can't really say.

i followed a couple of nurses and local volunteers, and we visited a number of patients -- some suffering from swollen legs caused by arthritis, some suffering from injuries from accidents earlier this year, and some who were simply mourning over the deaths of their loved ones. while giving out medication, we also sang for them, shared scripture, and simply prayed for their healing. more than the immediate pain that we witnessed, i was struck by the general atmosphere of desolation in many of the homes.

on one hand, i felt utterly useless; i wanted to Do something, i wanted to Fix something. on the other hand, i was moved by the entire scene of what this ministry was all about: simply showing God's love. and during those moments, i couldn't help but be in awe of God's perfect plan. while on earth, Jesus was not only fully God, but He was also fully man. He knew all of our pain and suffering, He knew all of our comings and goings, He felt all of our emotions -- joy and grief; He empathized with us. Yet He endured it all without sin, and He was able to heal us inside and out. and when I think of this, i only slowly begin to realize what it really means when verses in scripture read, "for God so loved the world," that "Jesus had compassion," that "Jesus wept."

sandy, one of the nurses here, has been ministering this way for 7 years in masoyi. she simply says,

"give. give until it hurts, because it hurt God to give His Son."

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
-1 John 3:16-18