God's Goodness in Suffering

I began to realize lately, that amongst all the suffering, there are some who are suffering more than the others. This may seem obvious, but it’s hard to see the sickest amongst a very sick people. The people here barley have enough food to eat, but some are barely surviving and eat once a day if they are lucky. Everyone here needs cloths, but some have none, just a ripped up pair of shorts to cover with. Everyone has trouble getting medicine and suffers because of it, but some families have members who have died over simple infections that two dollars worth of amoxicillin could have cured. I was praying for these, to help them, to be a vessel, an ambassador of Jesus, to show that He cares and is still pursuing those He loves so much.

Here is an amazing story of one of these people, who has suffered more than the rest....

I first became friends with Jenny Lu a year and a half ago. Her and a group of the young girls would be here hanging out almost every day. I knew most of their families, but not Jenny Lu's. I ask her what her father did for a living and she looked at me and said nothing. I asked what was wrong and she said her father was dead and while saying it she formed her hand into a gun, put it to her head and pulled the trigger. My heart sank, I had to make sure that I was interpreting this correctly, so I got an interpreter to make sure. I was right, her dad blew his head off with a gun. Remember, the families and the people here handle those situations. There is no 911, when people die they are handled by the family and community if needed. I just found out today, from Jenny Lu's mother, that he shot himself in the head with a 45 calibre hand gun at their house.

Today was the first day that I met Jenny, Jenny Lu's mother. She came by the school looking for reading glasses. She was not what I expected. I could tell she had been through a lot and had put on a rock hard shell for her family. She is tuff, someone you wouldn't want to cross.

We began to talk and she started telling me about her family’s troubles. She explained in more detail the traumatic death of her husband and then her outer shell began to crack as she explained that her oldest son had lost his leg last year. She told me he had one crutch that was broken and could not get around any longer. As her tears began to build, she pushed them back, no doubt for the rest of her kids that were around us, but I could see the agonizing pain in her sole. I had seen her son before, but I had no idea he was the older brother of Jenny Lu and the son of the man who shot himself. This young man would have been eleven or twelve when he saw his father’s tragic death. A little over a year ago he was playing basketball and fell, he cut his leg and it got infected. The infection was not treated and the doctors here took his leg, almost at the groin. So difficult, as Jenny, his mother talks to me about the sports he used to play and the things he used to do, I felt like crying as I can begin to identify with his loss.

I took some money I had for the school and bought him a pair of new crutches. Pastor Josh and me visited him and the family and gave him the crutches. His thankfulness was clear, but I explained to them all who was giving him the crutches and why. He had been praying for help, he is not a Christian, just a helpless human and he knew where to turn. I told him that Jesus had heard his prayers. I don't think I need to explain how hard this young man’s life is, adapting to having one leg any where is hard, but here is even harder. He is ashamed of the way he looks, he is the oldest son in a family that has no father and now he feels like a burden to his family when he should be caring for them as the oldest male. He has no hope and no future. But he has turned to the Lord for help.

Jenny has no job and she is having serious trouble dealing with tragic death of her husband. She has no money to send her son to high school. This is not uncommon here, but if this boy does not get an education his life will only get worse. The other kids can work, they are physically able to labour, but this young man is helpless to survive if he does not get an education. He needs a "sponsor" and has been praying for one to help him go to school. They asked me but I told them that all I could do is write about their situation and see if our Lord would move in someone's heart. So this is what I am doing, looking to see if the Lord will touch someone's heart to sponsor this young man, that he may have a chance for a life. Before we left we all bowed our heads and prayed together. I watched Jenny fight her tears with all her strength and I could see their helpless spirits crying out to the Lord for help. The young man bowed his head low, below his shoulders as he prayed and did not move an inch. It was as if his slumped head and body where being held by the Lord.

25 dollars a month would be enough for his support. This would cover travel expenses to school, food at school, project supplies etc.