Humble Service

Yesterday evening while people gathered at a local restaurant and rugby field in Kampala, Uganda, terrorists from a group based in Somalia set off bombs killing 74 people and wounding dozens more. You can read about the attack by clicking here.

It's a bit unnerving as this news comes just one week before we leave to travel across the Ocean to this very city. The attack was aimed at civilians, innocent people who were gathered to watch the soccers' greatest play. Among the dead were 14 foreigners, including 1 American who worked as an advocate for child soldiers in Northern Uganda with the organization Invisible Children. A church group of 6 people from PA were wounded in the blast, just a day before they were supposed to return home.

As we head into the last week of our time at home, the spiritual battles we face continue to rage on. Whether they appear in the form of unnerving news stories, or in the obstacles that come from trying to get packed, prepare lessons, or raise the rest of the money we need to go, we are bombarded at every corner with stressors that have the ability to wear us down.

As a family, we started to unravel a bit tonight. As much as I'd like to paint a picture of how the three of us always speak kindly to each other or always seek to encourage, it just wouldn't be true. (Is it true of anyone?) The stress started to weigh heavily on us causing tempers to flair and feelings to be hurt. But instead of allowing everything to cause divisions among us, we sat down together to pray. Immediately, the tension in the room eased, and the rest of our evening went so much more smoothly.

You see, it's not our job to worry about whether or not we'll get everything done in time or whether we'll receive all of our funds or what may or may not happen. Those are things we cannot control anyway. God has it all under control. He knows our needs and will meet them in His time. He knows what we will do, where we will go, and no matter what happens He will be with us every step of the way.

As I read the news article this morning I read a quote about the young American man who died in the bombing yesterday. It said:

Nate lived a life that demanded explanation. He sacrificed his comfort to live in the humble service of God and of a better world, and his is a life to be emulated.

I think we can all be challenged by this young man's life by serving God with all we have and devoting our lives to something greater than ourselves. If we allow the worries of this life overwhelm us, we can't allow God to work in us as He longs to. Our job is not to worry, but to serve our amazing God.

Please join us as we pray for our brothers and sisters in Uganda and for those who are affected by these attacks.

- Aly