The other morning I walked into my house after a night of
working in the ER and I had one of those moments of absolute bliss. You know
those moments? They’re not common, but when they happen you think “There is no
way my life could possibly get better.” My adorable daughter was snoozing away
and I climbed into bed with my wonderful, happily sleeping new hubby. I’d had a great night at work where I’d had
plenty of supplies, tons of resources, and best of all a doctor who was WAY
more knowledgeable than me. It had just
been fun! Blissful.
 |
| Not only was my little fam sleeping, but I saw that Marie and my niece had put the.....toilet plunger to bed. Complete with blankie. |
I took a nap and woke up to the sounds of my hubby and
daughter playing together. I got on the
computer and did what I do most every morning (or in this case afternoon) which
is look for any update on the Ebola situation in West Africa. The bliss was immediately gone. The situation isn’t getting better. More new
cases. More violence. More pleas for
help. My heart was being torn in two. Again.
I want to be there!! I’m not supposed to be here! I’m supposed to be
there, in one of the space suits, fixing this whole situation!! They need me!!!! It’s an inner struggle that I deal with
several times over the course of any day.
Yesterday Peter and I got in an eh hem….discussion. I was upset at his lack of……frustration. I’m tormented about this. I’m constantly
researching, talking, thinking, praying, trying to figure out what we can do.
Should we go back?!? How would that be possible? We’d need new tickets, how
would we pay for it? What would that
even look like? What about Marie? What about this? What about that? On and on
and on.
I see his crestfallen face when we read something new. I see the e-mails that say they’ve added
money to our Skype account yet again because he’s calling so much to check
in. Last week he stopped eating for a
day and a half. I know his heart is
heavy. So WHY ISN’T HE FREAKING OUT LIKE
ME?!?!?!!?
I realized that I wanted to see him stewing and fretting
like I was. I wanted him to be worried
and constantly looking for a way for us to go “save the day.” That’s just how ridiculous I am. He gently reminded me that we didn’t plan for
this. We were planning on being in
Sierra Leone by this time but as of now, they’ve cancelled our flights. We don’t know why God allows these things to
happen, but why fight against it? He can
see things that we can’t. (I think I’ve
heard that somewhere else before…..) Oh
this husband that God’s given me. Such a
quiet, calm and rational balance to my somewhat frantic, emotional exuberance.
And he’s right. This
isn’t what either of us would have chosen and we’re both waiting for an
opportunity to go back. But for now we’re
here. And I’ve started counting the
blessings I have in being here. There are a lot!!
Peter and I have been brainstorming for a while about the best
ways to serve and love the Sierra Leonean people from afar. And we are getting excited!! The details are being finalized for an
operation that would involve supporting the churches in two of the districts hit
hardest by the Ebola virus. People in
the church are dying and their family members are suffering. They need food. They need water. They need
cleaning supplies. What an incredible
opportunity we have as the body of Christ to stand with our Brothers and
Sisters across the world and show them that they’re not alone!! We haven’t forgotten them!! Most of us will probably never meet them, but
they are still our family!! I get tears
in my eyes just writing this!
But it doesn’t end with the Church!! What if that was just the starting
point? We are going to help the local
church reach out to its community by providing food, cleaning supplies, and other
necessities to those people who need it most!
We can empower this church that is hurting and grieving to rise up and
share Jesus with their community that is also suffering and grieving. From thousands of miles away we can reach out
to the Church and the communities that these churches serve. It’s exciting stuff!! So excited to get to be
the hands and feet of Jesus.
If you’re interested in getting on board, you can make
checks out to:
Willamette International
PO Box 772
Albany, OR 97321
*Just put “Ebola” in
the memo line
If you’re looking for other ways to give, Doctors Without Borders is an awesome
organization that’s been spearheading the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone. Their
website says that they can’t earmark money for Sierra Leone, but they were able
to even begin working there because people had donated before so I think that’s
a good option. Samaritan’s Purse is also working heavily in Liberia and I’m sure
would love any support we could give them.
