This world is not a safe place. You could get hit by a bus or smashed by a drunk driver any day of the week. There are about a million ways to get sick in a given day. It is a miracle we walk or breathe at all.
I have malaria. I’m not feeling too awful, just a little drained and I’ve got a stubborn headache that I can’t bribe away. But really not too bad. Everyone please hug my mom if you see her.
For those who truly want to share in what this World Race experience is like, here is the truth – it is dangerous. We have had two separate occasions where robbers were trying to get in to our house (also, check out my friend Nick Shiley’s blog about their robber experience right down the road from us). And now, I have a (potentially) deadly disease.
If you are afraid of danger, don’t come on the World Race. If you want to ensure safety and comfort, you are delusional, but certainly know that the mission field won’t grant you any sanctuary. My good friend and teammate, Lauren, came face to face with some dark forces a few days ago (she also had her Ipad stolen this week). At least one other person on my team has malaria too.
My very favorite quote from the Narnia series is in the first book when Mr. Beaver is telling the children that Aslan is a Lion and one of the kids asks if He is safe. Mr. Beaver replies, “Safe?! Who said anything about safe? of course He isn’t safe. but He is good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
If you want to be safe, I suggest locking your bedroom door and lying to yourself. But I am tired of being afraid. I want to trade the danger of boredom and complacency for the threats of real courage and meaningful pursuit. My team has spent this month ducking robbers and fighting boredom. Now, we are adding malaria to our rank of woes. But there is true joy in our sufferings. An audacious thought that we are right where God would have us; and that no disease or intruder or force of darkness can steal away or cancel the call of God on our lives.
I have malaria. But with malaria, I have preached a Sunday morning sermon, held malnourished babies, talked Jesus countless hours with teammates, taught at a youth event, and helped construct a church from scratch. Malaria is obviously nothing to trifle with, but, like most things we are afraid of, it is not as frightening or crippling as first imagined. After all, we serve the King. And He is good
Please keep us in your prayers. We are finishing up ministry in the next coupled days – we are sharing worship at a church of widows this morning and holding our own impromptu worship in a field in the village this afternoon. The rest of the team is getting tested for malaria later today. Kylie and I have already started taking our medication. We will be traveling to Swaziland, starting at 4:00 a.m. on Monday morning.
