Merci - Update 7: Debrief Blog 1

Journal prompt: What is one lesson I’ve learned from my East African friends that I will never forget?

I learned grit. I had countless conversations with them that contained suffering but did not center on it in such a way that would leave God out of the discussion. 

Talking to Bob, him sharing how his parents passed away when he was a kid. The suffering he endured from his sister-in-law in his adolescence and his resolve that God has helped him recognize that his story is usable and redeemable by the God who created him and loves him. 

Talking to Winnie, hearing her struggles with sickle-cell anemia, fighting for life, and believing that God has preserved her for his purposes despite the fragility of life she experienced. 

Talking to Joash, hearing him talk about his love for his family, how he saved to build his mom a house she could live in as he proceeded to show me a picture of a small unimpressive 1-room block house in the dirt - and to hear of his plans to build a new and nicer one, especially since she recently fell ill. 

The Bible says “suffering produces endurance” and these people I got the privilege of meeting and serving alongside this summer are living testimonies to this truth. Their grit was evident in their faith they displayed and articulated. Despite the pain they’ve seen and experienced, “Praise the Lord” is always followed with an “Amen” and it’s not empty or ingenuine. The truth they know is that God is worthy of our praise regardless of circumstance and tragedy.