a close to my bed show

Ebola seems to be on the decrease and I can’t wait for it to be gone. In Dutch we call it a “far from my bed show” when talking about things happening far away that are of little concern to us. The Ebola crisis in West-Africa has not been quite such a show for me, because I had my bed there for a while. I visited Liberia just before the Ebola outbreak and met and grew to love people there. 

so lovable!

Sometimes at night I would lie awake and hear the watchmen talking softly to each other under my window. Men who would keep watch for me to sleep safely, but who didn’t count on the invisible enemy called ‘Ebola’. Good memories of a month where I got to work along side Liberians in Rivercess. We learnt from each other on a daily basis and I carry the memory of their faces in my heart. So their crisis is slightly my crisis, even if I’m far away now.

Perhaps the only good thing Ebola has done, is to give faces to people suffering in Africa and to some of the heroes of Africa. We have seen West-African health workers on the news, doing brave things to fight this disease that has been destroying so many lives. I was encouraged by the unafraid cemetery worker in Sierra Leone who said: “No, I’m not afraid, I don’t have nightmares. My Jesus protects me.” 

my prayers are with you

Disaster strikes and sometimes the people in the midst of it have the greatest faith. Westerners watching from afar feel helpless and wonder why God allows these things.

For me it confirms that to get to know God, it’s best not to get too comfortable. It’s not like Jesus ever lived a comfortable life! The task of a church pastor has been described as: “To comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.”
So perhaps if you feel really comfortable, it’s time to move your bed around!