This post is written, as are all, to chronicle my experiences about real people living and dying in the worst of circumstances and to share my thoughts about them.  I write not to criticize anyone, but to encourage and challenge all of us to see the world as it is… and to respond… as “not my will” followers of Jesus.  My words are always directed first and foremost to me and then edited to be put in this form.

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Judite is ten years-old, and our neighbor, and she arrived after many days of cough and difficulty breathing at home.  Her oxygen level was life-threateningly low.  We treated her severe pneumonia aggressively for several days and she began to improve, clearly on her way to surviving an illness that, without our treatment, would have taken her young life.  When we arrived for rounds one morning, Judite’s bed was empty and our night nurse shared that she had left the room with her mother during the night to use the facilities and hadn’t returned.  We found out later in the day that her mother had fled the hospital and taken Judite to a village shaman…

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Madalena arrived with hardly any flesh on her bones, a Nat Geo image.  She had been ill for months at home.  Months…  We diagnosed her with TB and HIV and immediately began treatment.  She was beautiful and so grateful for our care, greeting us with a weak smile at our arrival every morning.  Madalena needed IV hydration and we began with some simple re-nutrition remedies, which we have now in Cavango because of the sacrificial generosity of many of you.  Every inpatient receives a “Manna Pack”, which provides several highly nutritious meals/day and has contributed to saving so many lives this year.  Virtually every patient that we admit in Cavango arrives malnourished, making them vulnerable to all kinds of illness.  Madalena gained some strength and minimally improved over a couple weeks but then began having fever from malaria and she didn’t have the reserve to fight it and died.  This young woman suffered for several months at home, two bedridden, and no one sought help for her…

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Adelia is five years-old and arrived because when she ate, her food and drink drained out of her mouth through a hole in her cheek the size of a quarter.  He mother stated that the wound had been worsening for a month.  She was rail-thin (calorie malnutrition), was swollen and had orange hair (protein malnutrition), and was severely anemic and needed blood.  She had a severe, mixed bacterial infection called cancrum oris or N.O.M.A. that virtually only affects those severely malnourished.  Adelia’s mother said that her husband was an abusive alcoholic and had left her and their three children and had gone to live with another of his “wives” and they’d had only minimal scraps and garbage for food for months.  Adelia has gained weight and improved tremendously and will survive, thanks to the same nutritional supplements.  Adelia’s mother said she has no money for treatment.  Because of the support of so many of you, Adelia will receive whatever treatment is necessary.  Adelia’s mother and baby brother are looking healthier every day, as well.

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Graciana is a little one-year-old who arrived with her mother and mother’s mother (a common scenario in who brings kids to the hospital) in a coma, eyes swollen closed and breathing over once/second.  She had been “sick” at home for two weeks and her parents weren’t able to wake her the previous day, when they decided to come to Cavango (the following day).  Graciana clearly had cerebral malaria and severe pneumonia as she couldn’t maintain her oxygen level at 75% normal, even at that respiratory rate and with maximum oxygen supplementation.  Graciana was given a needed blood transfusion and remained in a coma for over four days and we have had only a few kids survive longer in such a comatose state from cerebral malaria.  We gave her parents our prognosis and likelihoods, based on experience, but told them we wouldn’t quit.  This is a culture where trust in each other’s words is minimal, largely because they rarely, in honesty, deliver difficult news, so to honor them as thinking and capable adults and the Author of truth, we always lay all our cards on the table, good and bad, with patients and parents.  The next day, Graciana opened her eyes a few times, though still hypoxic and breathing fast.  She then began taking liquids and sitting up.  She has steadily continued to progress over the past week, is now off of oxygen supplementation, and appears to be neurologically intact.  As I write, I still can’t believe it.  It appears she will survive two illnesses which each, in their presenting severity in Graciana, virtually always kill, even with our care.  If it wasn’t for her entering a comatose state, her parents wouldn’t have sought help and she wouldn’t have survived… It often takes a coma or convulsions for parents to act on behalf of their kids.

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Victoria is three and arrived with cough and difficulty breathing for a week.  She had malaria and severe pneumonia.  Victoria arrived very malnourished and had completed treatment for TB last year, which thrives in weakened, little bodies.  A family that has absolutely no resources.  She was breathing way too rapidly, but after a day with us her breathing even worsened and we did an echocardiogram at her bedside while she was fighting for every breath.  The echo revealed little function of the left ventricle of her heart.  On top of everything else, she had developed severe inflammation in her lungs from heart failure secondary to a damaged valve, likely from untreated strep throat.  We began hurried, aggressive treatment to help her failing heart, but beautiful little Victoria died after several hours of much effort by many (too late) to save her.

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Our pediatric ICU room is full of malnourished little ones on oxygen and fighting severe pneumonia and many with deadly malaria, as well.

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Lenora is 23 years-old and has been coughing severely for almost a year and can’t walk without difficulty breathing.  She weighs less than eighty pounds and has lost so much weight that she has stopped menstruating.  She has disseminated TB and has improved rapidly over just a week with our standard treatment and will now likely recover completely if the damage to her lungs and body is not yet permanent.  No one in Lenora’s family was concerned enough to seek treatment for her as she wasted to nothing, “believing” that she would improve with time, and doing nothing.

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Catrina was 35 years-old when she arrived in Cavango with her sister, abandoned by her husband and suffering from HIV and TB, unable to breathe.  We drained over two liters of pus from one chest cavity and began aggressive treatment for her several infectious diseases.  She has had a tube in her chest for two weeks, which has continued to drain pus.  Catrina’s 8mo daughter also arrived with pneumonia and malaria and is improving.  Catrina said she had no husband and no money and couldn’t afford treatment.  Because of so many of you, Catrina will receive all the treatment she needs and is walking, eating (Manna) and greeting us every day with a huge smile.  She is recovering nicely and will live to mother her children with the support of her family and village.  She knows why we are here and that her life has purpose, despite all of her wounds from such abuse and neglect. She realizes that she is valued by a Father who cares for her and met her in her desperation and is giving her a new beginning.

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Some of these beautiful people suffered as the direct result of ignorance, neglect and/or abuse as their families ignored their plight.  Some resulted from the same indirectly, severely malnourished in a world with abundant food resources.  I cannot adequately begin to describe the economic differences between Sub-Saharan Africa and the rest of the 2026 world.  It would take volumes to try to dissect the many historical and current reasons for the same, often errantly and radically oversimplified so as to center biased blame on a particular people or set of events.  This world is full of individual and collective hardship and tragedy and we often intellectually dig into why it occurs, where we often spin our proverbial wheels to the point of paralysis.  In our individual and collective trials, asking “why” may provide minimal insight toward a healthy response, but whether or not we overcome any such challenge in a healthy manner depends on “how” we respond. 

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The capability and freedom with which mankind has been endowed to steward this world, under the authority and direction of the Maker of it all, is a remarkable privilege and responsibility.  Also remarkable is the capability we have for choosing captivity to self-focus and self-service and, in doing so, destroy ourselves, others and this beautiful world. 

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The injustice and evil in this world can be suffocating, centered around serving and pleasing ourselves.  It is manifested in what Jesus identified as “sin” or rebellion against the Way, Truth and Life, who said that denial of self in exchange for an outward focus – on loving/serving Him and others – is the key to life.  We see the pursuit of self-pleasure destroy the pursuers of the same.  We see the pursuit of self also destroy others for personal gain.  We see “self” neglect and trash this beautiful world and others. 

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The pursuit of pleasant, personal “dreams”, “feelings” or emotions is beyond superficial in beings created for depth and thoughtfulness.  Our modern world has perhaps become more enamored by pleasant emotions and the pursuit of self-pleasure and personal comfort than any in history, because of the prosperity that is also more available (in many parts of the world) than at any prior time. 

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We lose our ability to steward what is real when we devour not-real stories of fantasy, magic and superheroes and spend more time in virtual social interactions than real.  Our imaginary abilities were gifted to us to assist in our (real) connection with our unsee-able Father, to stimulate empathy and care for our (real) neighbor and to better steward this (real) world.  

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Finding self-fulfillment and pleasing ourselves through fantasy, leisure and entertainment has become our priority, and we work to gain more of these.  We are offended by, and sever relationships with, those who abstractly believe differently than us rather than being angered and upset (and doing something) about those who suffer and die from real hunger and real wounds at the hands of real people serving themselves.

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Dying to personal “rights” and self for the benefit/prosperity of others is now deemed psychologically extreme and unhealthy.  Considered healthy is prioritizing and emphasizing our “right” to our imaginary “ideal” and to personal happiness/prosperity. Definitions of words have changed over time to suit our preferences.  What Paul defined as lust (attraction/consuming desire) is now called “love”   Courage is today defined as more boldly serving self.  Virtuous and celebrated today are those who plumb the depths of fascination with our “inner self” in pursuit of personal enlightenment.  

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In ignorance, many don’t know our Father and His ways.  In arrogance, many reject the One who created them for living in connection with Him and choose to, instead, believe a fable of creation via purposeless chance, “freeing” them to live independently of Him.  We create our own “truth”, “gods” and ideologies to support our primary pursuit of self-fulfillment which, by necessity, ignores the plight of others.

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I echo Paul’s sentiment when he said his heart was “filled with unending grief and sorrow” because of the choices made by those he cherished. I grieve as I watch some of my friends, family and those in Cavango, choose to reject a Father’s love, and His desire to know them and be known by them. 

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We all see and hear of the consequences of self-serving every day, in the “world”, in the “church,” in those who reject our Father, and in those they (we) injure.  A primary battle within each Jesus-follower is found in the choices we make which restrain or serve self.  Every Jesus-follower knows what it is to rebel and the consequences of the same.  We have all failed and our Father knows.  What power there is in His forgiveness and cleansing.  What a message we have for those who don’t know – that they can begin anew in knowing our Father and being known by Him.  We can turn and, like Jesus, work day and night to help those who are perpetrators or victims of the abuse, neglect and self-serving – so they might, too, know our marvelous Father. 

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We can shout and protest for the government, church, God and/or others to help the forgotten and hurting, but our actual care/concern/love is revealed in what we do…

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We were created with a Father’s love to live in union with Him.  We are tempted indirectly, as was Jesus directly (Mt 4), by the first being to rebel against his Creator – to ignore this union and purpose for life and to value the praise and adulation of men, to fantasize and ignore real consequences and to pursue that which was best for Him. 

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If we look to Jesus’ life and words, living united with Him will produce not “happiness” and pleasure, but mourning, humility, gratitude and hunger for what is right.  According to Jesus, the “abundant life” is found in sacrificing our pursuit of pleasing self and, like Him, in gratitude, giving our lives away, because of the treasure we have found in our Father’s unmerited favor. 

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Did the One we claim to “follow” pursue happiness, “self-care,” fulfillment and personal success/prosperity?  We ignore the reality of Jesus’ early followers (and so many others since), none of which “prospered” by today’s definition, who were rejected, imprisoned, tortured and slaughtered, and yet “turned the world upside down”… 

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As you know, in Cavango, we are endeavoring to help a few of those forgotten and abused.  Many of you sacrificially partner with us in giving your lives and resources to provide where there is great need/suffering and we are beyond grateful that you trust us and join us.  Please consider joining us in Cavango.  Please also invite others to join your partnership with us!

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Our dear partners/friends at AGA (Advancing the Gospel in Angola) have received a commitment from a supporter to match, 1:1, every dollar contributed to the Cavango ministry, up to $262,000, to serve those with hunger, preventable/treatable, deadly illnesses, and trapped in lies of hopelessness and fear.  This money will support shipments of nutritional supplement and other materials, installation of water wells and pumps in surrounding villages, urgent surgeries at CEML via MAF transport, completing the hospital construction, construction of a school and simple church building, and construction of a footbridge over the Cubango River, which will provide access to our hospital for thousands living south and west of us, and more ways we can serve the beautiful people of this region. 

Please consider how you might contribute to this endeavor and encourage others to do the same, which will benefit so many who have not, opening opportunities for them to meet our Father.  Please click on “Contributions” above.

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An analogy… There is a brutal war involving several cultures on both sides of the conflict.  A soldier arrives in the night to a POW camp in enemy territory to bring news of a planned rescue for any who would choose to join him.  As he gathers the prisoners, he confirms that many are in a severely weakened state, intolerable pain, or harboring severe wound infections.  He begins to lay out the rescue plan and notices that the prisoners’ wounds, hunger, and pain make it difficult for them to focus on his explanations so, having come prepared, he prioritizes bandaging their wounds, providing some nutrition and water, and splinting their broken limbs.

This man doesn’t look or sound like those captive and he is not from their home cultures, but he tries to explain to the prisoners, speaking their languages poorly that, despite his differences, he is not the enemy and he came with the support of many to lead them out of the camp. This soldier is dealing with his own wounds from getting to the camp and he explains that he needs several of the POWs to trust him and work with him, at great risk, to lead all of them out of the prison to where, he says, transport has been arranged to carry as many as possible to safety.  A minority, with wounds now bandaged and hunger diminished, listen to him explain the escape plan and choose to trust and follow/join him.  The majority, also bandaged and no longer hungry and thirsty, hear the same plan but, for all kinds of reasons, including the risk, choose to remain in the camp. Some who trust and follow survive the rescue attempt and make it out, some do not. 

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Another…  A cruise ship from a distant country comes upon a tragedy in the middle of ocean nowhere.  A ferry had been boarded and robbed by modern pirates from its own culture, set on fire and abandoned days before, leaving hundreds stranded in the cold, open seas with no hope and little to hold onto.  Word spreads on the cruise ship and many ignore the news, while others watch the life-and-death struggles in the waves below them.  They hear the cries…  Some watchers scream for the cruise ship staff to do something.  A few rally small groups to prepare life-saving provisions and life-boat rescues for as many as possible.  Some risk their lives to jump from the ship with flotation devises to help a few.  Many do not survive, though a few are lifted to safety…