Living in a War Zone

The other day an elderly friend of mine shared news of her grandson who is serving on the mission field in Mogadishu. She told me he is struggling because the people who started the work left him alone and in charge too soon; they had to return to the states. He has suffered through malaria three times and now he is battling skin worms. He doesn’t know how to build structures to house orphans. He doesn’t know how to budget their resources (bulk rice, etc.) and he has been left in charge.

He reports the Somalians do not count on a tomorrow so when they do get any amount of cash, they buy outlandish items like cell phones or clothes even though they are hungry.

Recently a family was given a flock of chicks to raise to produce eggs to support the family. He checked on them later only to find out they had eaten the chickens after they became hens.

This whole ordeal reminds me of some of the brand new Christians I have observed through the years. They do not know there is a tomorrow because they have been living in a war zone. Now they have hope but do they actually know the larder full of resources they now have?

How do we create a vision of tomorrow when daily living has been too much? Only the Lord can give this grandson wisdom as he searches for the correct way to lay brick. Only the Lord can bring a vision of tomorrow while we struggle to parcel our resources correctly today.