Tenacity

TENACITY IN SERVING OTHERS
You know, I have noticed a consistent characteristic among some of my friends that bares mentioning. Maybe you all can help me to understand how to describe it. It came up again today for the umpteenth time.

I had this burden for Okiror Geofrey (SOASK) for the last 4 days and a sense that his life was in danger (again). We are close like that so I'm not going to try and explain that. This time that sense didn't go away. No communication at all for over 4 days. I get a chat popup today and although he was too weak to chat much it was a relief to "hear" from him for a few minutes. He had come down with Malaria. Here not so much a problem. There in Uganda? Untreated? - Deadly. He told me that his relatives had found him in bad condition at his new quarters and carried him for treatment and now was at a relatives still being treated. That was a very close call. But the real clincher is this. I was telling him that his needs must be taken care of and that we need to really pray that through. His things and bed got stolen from his old place so he has been sleeping on the concrete at the new location where they found him. His last chat line before he got cut off chat?:

"Please pray for the children. My life is nothing seeing that I am doing well (now)". (Translation: Never mind me. Pray for the children.)

Almost 24 years old. Dedicated in heart. Loves the children, the widows, the poor. Driven by it. I've observed it time after time. More than I have room to express here although it would make good reading. Maybe even conviction.

Then there is Mukulu Jonathan (OOCM). Five years and running. Ups and downs, Bouts with malaria, Provision slowing down to a trickle, People get really sick, Some die, more are orphaned, Thick and thin I have observed him get back up from every potential crisis and go at it again. "God will do it... Prayer!.." I can hardly count the amount of times that I have tried to mention his needs to him and he will come back with,

"Focus on the children, the orphans, the widows, the destitute, Prayer, God will provide, It will get better... I know."

 I thought I knew something about tenacity before meeting him but I have learned more from him than I have given. There have been times when I have said in my heart, "Oh my God! This can't be happening." and he is under more pressure and hurting and yet he will come back from that experience ready to fight the good fight. He is like a cheerleader in the villages there cheering people on when sometimes it seems hopeless. Somebody from Uganda once said about him, "He loves those children." And there are a lot of them.

Then there is Luthy Monica a young nursing student in her twenties. I actually met Mukulu through her for which I owe her a debt of gratitude. She actually and amazingly got to go to nursing school for at least a year. but her "groom" mother fell ill of a debilitating long term illness and so her needs and that of her younger brothers fell in her lap making it even more of a struggle.

One thing became apparent that in her mind and heart, they come first. As much as it is her dream to become a nurse she will constantly choose to put others first. If I mention Mukulu and the children she has some inner priority that she will immediately turn attention on them even though she has serious needs herself. Ironically, Mukulu does the same thing when I mention Luthy. I mentioned her struggles to become a nurse once to Okiror (who doesn't even know her) and and his response surprised me. "Then she needs to be take care of first!" They know the value of a nurse. They know the struggle between life and death. Luthy was orphaned at a young age. She has that same quality about her. Others come first. The children come first. Yet, she is tenacious in her seemingly impossible pursuit to become a nurse. Not surprisingly, those seem like the qualities of a good nurse as well.

Childlike Faith

"Except you have faith like this little child, you will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven"

Years ago, we were living on a small ranch in the middle of Oregon. It was a wonderful life and a great experience for the kids. We had sheep, goats, a pig, a whole bunch of chickens and even for a while a miniature pony. The older kids all had their own animals to take care of but one of my younger daughters was only maybe 4 at the time and she wanted a pet too so we got her two goldfish. She named them Hoover and Huuuuver. It was pretty cute when she would talk about them because they both basically had the same name but the latter had a long drawn out UUUUUU in it. My daughter loved her two goldfish.

One morning, we woke up and Huuuuver was laying on the surface of the water upside down with a certain bubbly mire surrounding him. I touched him repeatedly and well, there just was no response so we took the fishbowl in the kitchen. I guess he had died during the night. My poor daughter was devastated because Huuuuver wasn't responding and she got pretty upset. I walked into the living room and she came up to me with a desperate worried look on her face and started grabbing onto my pants leg almost begging me, "Daddy pray to Jesus to HEAL Huuuuver!!!" over and over again.

I just didn't know how to explain that Huuuuver was dead and she just kept pulling on my pants and begging me to pray for him. It was agonizing to see her so upset and worried. Finally, maybe just to calm her down and give me a few minutes to think about how to explain this all to her, I took her hands and prayed, "Lord Jesus please heal Huuuuver..." I honestly didn't have the slightest faith that God was going to do anything. She seemed to calm down when I prayed so that was a tremendous relief.

A few minutes later, I went into the kitchen and Huuuuver was swimming around like nothing had ever happened and Leah was so relieved that Jesus had "healed" Huuuuver...

Now I gotta be honest here and tell you that it never really crossed my mind that God was really going to heal Huuuuver much less raise him from the dead. I just really was pressed for God to intervene and give her some peace. (Which He did.) That's the mature "Christian thing to do" right? Well my daughter didn't understand any of that. She was just utterly convinced that if we prayed to Jesus to heal Huuuuver that God was going to do that... And, He did!

Now, if you were to ask my daughter roughly 22 years later if she remembers that, she would tell you that she doesn't. So you might say what is the value of her having that experience if she doesn't remember it? That certainly is a legitimate question and I think this morning when this came to my mind I may have gotten an answer to that question.

When a great tree drops a seed to the ground does the tree remember it? Regardless of whether the tree remembers the seed or not, that seed falls to the ground and in effect dies and is buried and may be long forgotten. And yet, that seed merges with the ground of life and it is watered and it sprouts and if no one comes by and steps on it, that seed will grow into a great tree. That forgotten seed is destined to become a great tree whose shade and fruit will bless all those that pass by it.

Never underestimate the faith of a little child even if later it falls to the ground and dies forgotten whether that child of God be 4 or 40, "for of such is the Kingdom of God..."

But woe to you if you pass by and see that seed starting to sprout and you step on it...