Sometimes it doesn't really feel like I'm in "Africa" because it is so western, the food, the stores, the cars and as some Americans have thought there are no lions in the back yard.
This week a few of the volunteers witnessed or were the victims of pick pocketing or muggings. Watching the news; the violence and killings - some in our part of Cape Town because of other Africans defecting to find jobs because of starvation. Africa got a lot more Africa to me, it seems. The other night as we drove home the event that kept me up all night was a young girl that ran across the street. It was late at night and very dark out. She was bare naked and running in what I can only describe as terror without looking across a four lane, busy divided highway. I'm not sure that I've ever witnessed someone running in terror before.
I wanted to go back, but the girl had disappeared through the woods and into a township where she would have been impossible to find. Ursula said that we wouldn't be able to find her and that we shouldn't stop in this area.
She looked very young and while we can't know what happened it is very likely based on the time, the area we were driving through and how she was running that she was rapped. That had a very sobering effect on me.
It was one of those things that you hate to see maybe don't ever want to, but you know it exists and when it's in front of you...you know I guess in some way that it is something I needed to see.
I lay awake just hurting for that girl and her family.
Ursula's neighbor asked me why does God allow these things to happen? I told Him that I didn't really fully understand and maybe I never will, but I that I do believe in free will and that we all make choices that aren't necessarily God's choice. I have made many bad choices that have hurt people and many have made some that have hurt me. I know I've grown far more from hurtful or potentially dangerous decisions sometimes in ways that I didn't really probably want to grow than I have from the easier ones. Things that I appreciated long after the fact, ways I can connect with hurting people and much more. I grew anyway as a result of situations regardless of the tangibles involved.
I definitely open the forum for discussion...
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3 comments:
While we rack our brains trying to understand "WHY?" we need to remember that HE is our GOD the Almithy and HIS PERSPECTIVES are way far out than ours. SO, No regrets! Embrace GOD's perfect will!
prayin' for ya bro!! keep runnin' towards His arms, even when it makes no sense...you are certainly there to be hope and solace for the hurting. love ya' man...
If God didn't "allow" humans to choose how we behave, He would take away the one element that makes us human, our ability to choose to follow Him (or not). Unfortunatly this ability to choose often hurts others in the process. God can use the hurts for His glory as well, as you say often in much greater ways than things that are easy or enjoyable.
Keep your head up and your knees down! Love ya, little furry man.
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