Thoughts over a blank page this morning as I think about the last couple weeks in Cavango…

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Those of you who are faithfully and sacrificially participating with us in this work in Cavango are serving, behind the scenes, in a manner that is truly uniquely beautiful.  There are few works in the world serving hurting people with less access to basic health care…

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Each arrived with their own story, none are novel or particularly dramatic, but many (not all) will return home well because of the services and support from each of you…  Those who don’t return well will be cared for every minute of every day they remain with us in Cavango.

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Some examples follow:

We’ve had six new, severe cases of disseminated leprosy in the past several months (one pictured), all of whom will survive if we can continue to procure globally-available medication from the government.

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Two young men in their thirties arrived the same day unable to breathe because of severe heart failure.  Both are recovering nicely and walking the campus without assistance after arriving unable to stand.

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Nine, life-threatening cases of pneumonia arrived this week, all requiring oxygen supplementation to survive.  Three infants, three toddlers and three adults.

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We admitted seven new cases of TB this week, all who would have died had they not sought care or sought care elsewhere.

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Three children arrived with displaced fractures, which were “set” appropriately and would have been casted “as is” or ignored at other places.

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Three new-onset diabetics are recovering after accurate diagnosis and treatment.  All had sought care at multiple other locations in cities before arriving here and receiving an appropriate diagnosis within minutes, followed by treatment.

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Two teens, two children and an adult arrived critical and in comas secondary to cerebral malaria and will return home well.  Two other toddlers remain in comas (after several days).

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Three other older adults arrived critical and in severe heart failure and are recovering nicely

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Several complicated deliveries resulted in mothers and babies alive.

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One 37yo woman (photo) arrived with half her face about doubled in size and having great difficulty breathing because the swelling, over two weeks at home, had spread from a posterior molar to her jaw then to her neck.  We had to incise her neck to release pus from three compartments three times over two days.  She survived but cannot open her mouth and will need surgery to reopen her TMJ.

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A 25yo man arrived after having a cough for two months, followed in recent days by severe right chest pain and difficulty breathing.  He had a complete pneumothorax (collapsed lung) and was breathing better after Vianne, our Angolan post-grad intern, expertly placed a simple chest tube, followed by a “woosh” of escaping air (secondary to tension within the cavity from air build-up) into a bottle half-full of water (to keep the air from going back in).  We suggested that he give a name to his new “friend” (the water bottle) which must remain with him (and attached to the tube going into his chest) everywhere for the next few days. Vianne expressed still having discomfort in placing the tube.  I repeated our Cavango mantra (one of many), “Until you do something one thousand times, you still have something to learn.”  In other words, genuine comfort in any situation arrives only via repetition and there is no substitute for experience (repetition)…

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A 50yo man arrived and needed seven (!) abscesses around his body opened and drained over several days.  He suffered!  He “bore” severe pain and fever for several weeks at home before journeying a full day to get here.

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A 43yo man hired a motorbike to bring him 4hr from a city to our hospital because of “back pain”.  He walked into the room without difficulty and sat without discomfort.  Strange, as people who arrive here with back pain are usually quite debilitated.  He said he is a teacher in a government school in a large city and brought a work excuse form, having already missed three months.  Because of our remote location, the global use/abuse of doctors to provide work excuses for non-illnesses rarely happens here.  I examined him and found nothing amiss.  I then asked him how much (paid) time off he needed and he suggested “resting” until the end of the year.  I signed his “official form” with instructions to return to work Monday.

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Even in Angola, some people have delusional expectations of a life (or a day) without pain and difficulty.   This type of thinking has been the fruit of the “evangelism” of the world with the “prosperity gospel,” both within the church and among those who have no interest in God.  Prosperity is the answer and will eliminate pain and solve our problems (no matter how often we humans have presently and historically witnessed otherwise).  This “gospel” is all about faith.  Those who have must believe that more prosperity is the answer and seek more and those without must believe that prosperity will satisfy and seek to have it.  This is one of many prominent lies embraced by the majority today.  Prosperity is now also to be expected, and pursued.  “You are worth it!”  Prosperity will bring “happiness” and what is life’s purpose beyond personal “happiness”, contentment and fulfillment?

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Those I admire historically would say “No!” “My Father’s will be done”…   Jesus’ life was shortened cruelly.   Peter was imprisoned, tortured and crucified upside down on a cross.  Paul was whipped, beaten, stoned, imprisoned and beheaded.  Stephen was stoned to death.  John was boiled in oil.  Others were sawn in two, burned at the stake, tortured…  All remaining passionate about knowing Jesus… The members of “the way” were scattered, chased, maligned and exiled because they would not remain at peace with the destructive, godless influences of their cultures.  It still happens today. 

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The modern “developed” culture has dressed its message in the attractive and enticing garb of psychology and “science” and many churches have swallowed the cultural “Kool-Aid” and “syncretized” Jesus’ ways with the cultural lies the same way I saw Jesus’ ways, Catholicism and voodoo syncretized during my many visits to Haiti years ago.   These modern, syncretized philosophies and their doctrines have replaced our Father’s (pretty clear and never easy) guidelines for how to live this life.  “Seek first the Kingdom of God…”

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The theological question follows, “Does God want good for those who follow Him?”  Why does a good God allow His people to suffer?”  What we often miss is trusting that God’s ultimate and wise “goodness” (defined by Him) is not necessarily pleasurable to us…  Our trust is more important to our Father than our temporal pleasure.  Any theology that we believe, teach/preach must be compatible with all the above “good” circumstances that involved temporal suffering, injustice and even death…

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I’ve read my Father’s letters to us and been a lifelong student/observer of history.  It has often not gone well for those faithful to Him before the culture in which they live (“Seek first…”).  Jesus followers are crabs-in-the-bucket offensive to the masses and the masses have never tolerated beliefs (truth vs lies) and behaviors that set Jesus people apart.

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The lines are becoming clearer globally against allegiance to our living Father and choices will need to be made that sets a Jesus person apart.  It won’t be pretty.  There will be loss, “burnout”, rejection, mockery, imprisonment, etc like there often has been for those faithful (firstly) to Jesus.  The popular, pleasure-seeking “Trans” and “Pride” philosophies of today, especially, are blatantly anti-Jesus and His emphases on humility, service, surrender to Him and His death-to-self ways.  In these philosophies and in most of today’s psychology “doctrines”, life revolves around me and “my”… my desires, my self-love, my self-determination, my self-aggrandizement, my self-enlightenment…

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So what must we do?  Remain faithful… not to always “being nice”, not to maintaining peace with everyone, not to personal success/fulfillment/winning, not to primarily growing our churches and/or organizations, not to grand, public concerts and “worship” services…  Remain faithful… to prioritize His ways and to sweaty service that benefits another…  Remain faithful… in pain, in rejection, in loss, in death…  Remain faithful …to the One and only Creator and King… Who honored each and every one with freedom to choose their allegiance and Who will remain faithful to always honor our choices, while persistently calling us to… the truth… of our only real purpose  –  to live in union and surrender to Him…