October 23, 2011

  • Hurdles

    I liked running, back in the day, but hurdles always scared the crap out of me.  They always seemed so high!  I could jump over them, but trying to clear them will minimal vertical clearance always seemed to scare me.  I think I was/am a sissy who was/is just afraid of falling at full speed.

    Lately, we have been experiencing some good sized hurdles.  Not the wooden ones that one tries to clear in a race.  Rather hurdles that slow our stride and cause discouragement.  We have been sooo blessed while here in Uganda.  We have a really nice house.  We have a semi-healthy family.  We have a refrigerator.  And as of recently, we have a vehicle.  However, those blessings can easily become a burden if your heart is in the wrong place.

    Healthy bodies has been a common prayer for our family.  There are so many more tropical diseases here that one cannot imagine.  The obvious, Malaria, has been a burden on us.  But we have overcome it.  Parasites have been another.  When we first got here, the parasitic infection from the caterpillars was a problem.  Lately, Gracie has complained about a recurring stomach pain.  We had taken her into some clinics where they claimed she had malaria.  Even though we were advised by some expats, we kept going to the clinic to get treatment.  But the blessing of a vehicle finally allowed us to explore the suggested medical facility here, The Surgery.  We went there this week.  We were pretty impressed that they had a modern (looking) facility.  The real impressive part of the clinic was that the physician, an actual doctor, did a physical examination of Grace.  Ruling out many other causes, they actually had tests, she requested a stool sample.  So we were pretty excited that they were actually doing a thorough check.  After collecting and testing, we found out that she has a Cystic Ameoba infection in her intestine.  From what we understand, it is pretty common in third world countries.  The cause can either be running bare foot in the dirt or transmission from flies to food (or consuming raw vegetables).  Regardless, she is now on a treatment plan and should be CURED in a couple of days!  Praise God!

    Like I said before, a blessing can be a burden if your heart is in the wrong place.  A good example, the vehicle... the Pajero is a trusty steed.  It has been such a great thing for us.  It allows us to navigate where and when we want.  Removing 90% of the travel restriction holding us back til now.  However, this past week it has been a burden.  The roads here, using the term "road" very loosely, are extremely treacherous.  They are extremely abusive on vehicles.  And we have seen evidence of that this week.  Our alternator had shaken loose from its restraints.  So badly that it stopped charging the battery.  It had been loose long enough to ruin the bearings on one of the fly wheels.  Inevitably it has been a chain reaction of problems.  This morning, on the way to church, I noticed the power steering getting really tight.  As we went along on the "road" the transmission was acting up (it would not switch out of 2nd gear).  As we turned onto the road to church, the floodgates let loose.  A belt snapped and got tied in the fan making the most horrendous noises.  So we ditched the car and walked the rest of the way to church.  However, I called the mechanic to come and help.

    Anyway, I am not giving all of this detail to prove our defeat.  For some reason, this has happened to us with little sore effect.  We get briefly discouraged.  But soon after the catastrophe with the car we stepped into church when the bible study started.  For some reason, out of the normal flow, the elder started talking about something he felt he had to say before welcoming the pastor to speak.  He started talking about Nahum 2:1... "An attacker advances against you, Nineveh. Guard the fortress, watch the road, brace yourselves, marshal all your strength!"  He has no idea that he was asked by the Holy Spirit to speak directly to us.  No one had any idea of our misfortune prior to entering through those doors.  Except the Lord... He knew that we had had a hurdle or two that we had to clear.  He knew that we were being challenged by our enemy and that we needed some encouragement.  

    As soon as I heard that brief message from the elder I started thanking the Lord for hurdles.  Without hurdles I may not rely on the Lord for strength.  Without hurdles there would be no successes.  So I am thankful that we are OVERCOMERS!  We are thankful!

    As always, we are heavily reliant on everyone's prayers.  Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

    Chad Neeley

    Construction Coordinator - WWCS Uganda/USA