My last post mentioned my affliction of persecution over here. My newest attack was of the aerial persuasion. I went to Gyro, a village about 20 minutes outside of Jos, with Lisa. Lisa spends quite a bit of time with these boys and girls, and I wanted to see her ministry, which is something very different from my classroom ministry. The boys and girls (ages 7-25) each have their own story of abandonment of one sort or another and how this ministry found them. This past Sunday (June 21st) was my first time there and the girls flocked to us both and welcomed me as if they were waiting for me. As I think back to the scene, I am touched by their open vulnerability and desperation for love.
Well, Lisa and I took these precious ones mango hunting. It was a pleasant afternoon stroll through rows of assorted crops, creeks, and rocks. We chatted, sung, and held hands until we finally got to the cluster of mango trees, picking berries along the way. I was impressed by the way these girls scampered up the trees and dropped mangoes for the others below to catch—such skill and sense of teamwork! I melted as I watched the girls indulge in their delicious finds, juice dripping from their cheeks and running down their arms. Then I realized I was juicy and sticky too!
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| From Gyro |
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| From Gyro |
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| From Gyro |
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| From Gyro |
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| From Gyro |
At any rate, we ran into a little trouble on our way back to their home. Enter our winged enemies. Angry bees blocked half of us from crossing the bridge (which, I might add, was a laughable construction of boards and iron). It took me a while to realize why these little girls were running away from the bridge in hysterics—girls can be silly sometimes, right? When realization caught up with me, I immediately went to work at swatting and killing as many bees as I could that were following one girl, Faith. The poor thing got stung several times. In the process, I got stung myself and understood why she was crying so hard—those things are PAINFUL!
By the time we got to the home via detour I noticed how itchy my entire head was and that my ears felt a little funny. After reporting to the uncle in charge and handing over the girls with stings, Lisa and I noticed that my face was swelling up. The uncle gave me some kind of pill, but the swelling was spreading quickly, so we decided to leave immediately. We were both anxious because getting home to some antihistamine involved a 10 min bumpy ride on the back of a motorcycle and then another 15 ride in a taxi to the house. The swelling had spread all over my body, affecting my hearing, making me a bit dizzy, and starting to tighten my airway.
The whole way home, Lisa and I were silently pleading with God to have His hand on me until I got some drugs in me. Mind you, I’ve never had an allergic reaction to anything in my life (besides the common rash from poison ivy). I was, quite honestly, a bit panicky, but forced myself to stay calm and rational.
Lisa took me to the hospital just in case there was something else I needed to do/take. I was directed to the ER. I’ll spare you all the inadequate description of that experience. In the end, the nurse (or whatever her title was) prescribed me some steroids that they didn’t have in stock. Great. Well, since all the nearby and trustworthy pharmacies were closed, I decided to ignore the suggested drugs. Besides, after taking the antihistamine the swelling had gone down considerably. By evening, however, my eyelids and ears and the surrounding areas were still swollen and tender. Much to all of our disappointment, I wasn’t able to get a picture of the peak of my metamorphosis. Sorry.
Looking back, that was almost a fun experience. Seriously, though, I am extremely thankful for the Lord’s protection. It is not often I am faced with a fear quite like that. My mind went immediately to a friend of mine here who has some kind of illness that greatly affects her breathing and has griped her very being with fear. The doctors here didn’t know what it is, so she went home to get adequate medical attention (a list of answered prayer and the Lord’s goodness in that situation). A group of us visited and prayed with her while she was still here. I am amazed by the strange mix of trust in the Lord—leaning on His sovereignty—and the haunting whisper of fear that creeps from the unknown. I had just a small glance of what that is like.
Praise God for His SUPREMACY! All things come from His hand, so I can trust in His purposes. Wisdom, goodness, and power far beyond our own!
Fixed on our Father and back to my normal form,
Kari
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