Loss

After women’s Bible study today at our Congolese church, 17 of us walked down a hot, dusty road to a nearby house where one of our ‘sisters’ is grieving. Yesterday, her 7 month old baby boy passed away. He had malaria (an easily treatable disease). We all squeezed into her 8x10 foot room (similar to the one in the picture here) with concrete floors and walls, crammed with couches and household supplies, and very little air circulation. A few of us shared words of encouragement and then we sang, prayed, sang and prayed again. While we were singing, I watched ants crawling up and down on the couch and tried to make sense of it all. Impossible. Then I looked at the young mom’s face with tears streaming down her cheeks trying her best to sing a song declaring that God gives and takes away, blessed be His name. Death is a part of life here, but it doesn’t mean that mommies hearts break any less. Please pray for the family. Sarah (my partner here in ministry) will spend the night with the family tonight. That is what they do here. Amazing. gc