Seasons of Life.

King Solomon, in his wisdom, once wrote: “to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). For our Home-Based Care team in Kipkaren, this is a season for us to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Over the past weeks, we have lost several of our dear friends to death. It feels as if we finish the burial of one only to lose another. Our hearts are heavy. Our questions remain unanswered. But in this broken place, we are not without hope. We are being reminded that this world is not our home. We are experiencing the grace that is sufficient to carry us through. We are learning, even more, to depend upon God and one another to continue in the work to which we have been called.
On Valentine’s Day, I received the call that Edwin, the young boy with heart disease, had become acutely sick. He had recently been discharged from the hospital after several unsuccessful attempts to treat his condition. He had wanted to go home. So, he spent his last days with his family in the familiarity of his home and village.
By the time I reached his home, he had already passed away. His family’s small grass-thatched hut was full of neighbors and family members grieving the loss of their child. There was a single candle to light the blackness of the night. At times, the only sound was of a mother crying over the loss of her son. Edwin’s brother laid beside him unaware of all that was taking place. And my heart felt the loss of one that I loved.
Over the past month, these lyrics have been my cry:
When I don’t know what to do,
I’ll lift my hands.
When I don’t know what to say,
I’ll speak your praise.
When I don’t know where to go,
I’ll run to your throne.
When I don’t know what to think,
I’ll stand on your truth.
-Tommy Walker

I thank you for your continued prayers for us as we experience life and death in this place. Your prayers are a source of strength in the midst of our weakness. One thing that has become so evident to me as we journey through this valley is that death is only a shadow. There is life beyond this broken world and the separation we are experiencing is temporary