Encouragement from Across the World...

I woke up this morning to find an email in my inbox from my brother, Chad. He encouraged my heart with a story about how he had been able to share Ellie's sickness (back before she died) with a man in a tribe in Papua New Guinea who believed that all of us Americans live in Paradise right here on Earth because of all of our stuff. It was wonderful to realize that God can use Ellie's suffering to touch others even around the world. The man that Chad was talking to believed that we just live lives of bliss with all of our wealth (he obviously doesn't know us!) and that we don't have any "heavies" (I love that description of suffering).

Then Chad passed on this story from some of his co-workers who live and work in another tribe. It took my breath away!

"Tonight, one of our translation helpers, Fransis Mbagimba, lost his 6 year old daughter. He is a strong believer and we have spent most of the day sitting with he and his wife outside their hut. Years ago another child died the same way and he went around afterwards threatening people and blaming them for the death and it turned into a community 'heavy'. Today, as she was passing away, he held her and asked if she was going to her Deliverer and leaving them forever and then told her to run to Jesus. After many tears, he spoke to the crowd that had gathered and this is what he said:

You people. Stop crying for my little girl. This little one heard God’s talk and listened to me when I taught her at home. She would listen and answer my questions and believed what we told her about the Deliverer who was God’s Son. She has already gone to her real Father, the one who made her. You should cry for those of us who are still on the ground and especially for those who don’t believe in Jesus. You people standing around here, you who don’t really lift up Jesus and believe in his work down in your underneath thinking – you look at this little girl. God marked her time and how many days she had long ago and He has taken her today on the day he marked. You don’t know your day. Turn your stomach and ask God to save you. Today my daughter died. It is a 'trying time' (trial) for me, but I have heard God’s sweet talk and it is true and I am not going to be in two minds about this. God’s Spirit will help me and I will be strong through it."