Sad Stories

Life here seems so much more dramatic in many ways than in England. People's stories are either wondefully pointing you towards Jesus, or just terribly sad. I guess that's the impact of poverty and disease. It's no longer shocking to have no parents - it's more suprising to meet a child who lives with a mum & a dad. Today I heard a story which I'm really struggling to come to terms with.

There's a little boy in Maseru (the capital city of Lesotho) who the Newfrontiers church there have come into contact with. They then called the doctor who is currently in Clarens from the UK for 6 months as the boy was clearly unwell. Dr Peter discovered that he had a cancerous tumour in his leg. His only hope for survival without supernatural healing was to have his leg amputated. That would be bad enough but sadly the boy's family decided to rely on traditional African medicine rather than take him to the hospital for the operation. They kept waiting for the traditional medicine to work and now they've waited too long - the boy has no hope left. And to top it off, Dr Peter was telling me tonight that this is one of the most painful deaths for anyone to endure. He's just a child and he has to deal with all of this. All because his family placed their faith in a lie.

But tonight we heard that he has become a Christian. He has placed his little life into Jesus' hands. Without God's healing he will die within 4 months, but at least now he will go home to his Saviour.

I know I will never understand God's purposes in this life, but it's so hard to hear these stories, meet these people whose lives are so hopeless. I am so thankful that God has saved this little boy but I can't understand why He has allowed this situation to come about.

At the end of the day I have to trust the God I serve, that He truly does see all things and will work all things together for good for those who love Him. This child loves Him, so this must have some good in it somewhere.