Sadness tightens its grip again

This world is full of pain and death. And sometimes these deaths seem so senseless! One of these deaths occurred today. This evening, Andrew vanderHeide (our colleague) and I went down to hold our regular evening fellowship in Biwat. This is a settlement very close to our place, so we can usually stroll there in about 10 minutes. As we left our compound we heard a police officer speaking over a loud speaker. Usually, this means something less than wholesome has transpired. As we walked towards the police, they drove off and a large crowd was milling around. We approached the crowd and saw a few of people we knew and they shared what had happened. A young man named, Ishmael, whose mother is a faithful attendee of our church, was stabbed with a bush knife in the back of his neck and left to die in a ditch. He is only about 20 years of age and part of a small gang who were involved in holding up some guys for their beer and money. The driver of the car, we were told, stabbed Ishmael in the back of the neck and he was left to die.

Our hearts go out to sister Augustina, the boy’s mother and his family. We don’t know her husband, as he has rarely worshipped with us during our evening fellowships or on Sundays.

We didn’t hold an evening fellowship tonight for obvious reasons, but I am sure we will take our part at the ‘haus krai’ (lit: house cry) and funeral. We pray that God will use us to speak the Word of truth and love into this situation. As we left the compound, kind of whisked away quickly as the members said things could get a little rough here, it was so sad to see many other youth and not so young people, congregate en masse seemingly to avenge the death. The questions we have are: Why do so many young men end up consumed or absorbed by a life of endless crime and violence? Where are their parents in all of this? And on our part, what can we do in Biwat to see an end to this trend? We have been preaching and teaching there for a year and a half now. All these youths know us, at least to see us—hence we feel quite safe around the roads here—however, not many care to hear the Word. The Gospel of grace and truth has not carved out deep inroads into their hearts, not yet. Others feel, if they hear the message of salvation once, whether they believe it or live it makes no difference, they are secure for all eternity.

Please pray with us for the young man’s parents and brothers and sisters as they grieve the loss of their son. Please pray that the Lord will use this sad and untimely death to begin a new trend among the youth. That is, that they will see the senselessness in living a life of crime and desire a life of wholeness in Christ. May God hear our prayers and shower His blessings upon them by His Spirit!