I read this from a blog this morning and I was blown away...
"I spend much of my time in a little slum outside of Jinja called Masese that is heavily populated with Uganda's outcasts, the Karamajong. Those in the community who are not Karamajong are shunned by society for other reasons, extreme poverty or illness or uncleanliness or all of the above. To say that I am in love with the people of this community would be a huge understatment. I do not really even have words to describe the way I cherish these beautiful people. They challenge me, they love me unconditionally, and they allow me to see Jesus in their faces. They have taught me much, one of the biggest lessons being the tension between inefficiency and faithfulness. I want to help them all, to fix all their problems, to successfully find a solution to their horrendous living conditions. But sometimes in an unideal situation there is not an ideal solution. The projects Amazima has strated in this community, are wonderful, but only meet the needs of some of the people, only scratching the surface of the problems. God assures me this is ok. If I continue to preach the Gospel and more importanly LIVE the Gospel in this community, though the outward conditions of the people may never change or may change very slowly, but if these people can come with us to Heaven, a few years of suffering will pale in comparrison. In the mean time, He allows me to see Him in their faces and to love Him in bandaging their wounds and letting their charcoal and mud covered children curl up in my lap."
I read this and not only think of my time in Uganda two years ago, but I think of my mom and her sickness. I love the part that says "a few years of suffering will pale in comparison" to eternity with Him. For my mom, a few years of a crippling disease is worth it in light of eternity. For the kids in Africa, a few years of poverty, illness, and sadness, pale in light of knowing Him. Wow. This I know: What a wonderful Savior we have. He makes all things new. Resurrection is real. Life is more powerful than death. Light can pierce darkness. I may never see the end of horrendous situations on this earth, but Christ has overcome the mess that is this world, and I am humbled to get to witness His salvation and saving grace.
