WHATEVER THE LORD WANTS...

I've shown this picture a number of times.  However, when trying to locate a Word and photo again today, this jumped back in.

A few weeks before I was taken to a particular location to pray for this lady, I had been told she was dying.  She had serious kidney issues.  She had been to the hospital a couple of times, but, because there were so many who had been beaten, shot, or stabbed by the Lord's Resistance Army groups, she couldn't stay longer than what was absolute necessary.  Her husband and two of her sons, in their teens, had been murdered.  She had been given a small baby to take care of by her brother just as she had entered this "hanging out" location.  And had almost no money, food, necessities.  Lived on a concrete porch in a church/school area, sleeping there and eating there for months, and taking care of kids.

About noon that day, one of my Soroti pastors, Joseph the Baptist, tapped on my shoulder where I was outside of my office room.  Inside, there was a group discussion going on, and I was not part of it.  He just looked at me, and indicated I was to follow him.  When I went to the street, he got me in his car, and told me we were going to see this woman who was in serious trouble.  He wanted me to see what she needed, and make a list of what we could go around and about to get for her.  AND he assumed I could buy it.

When we reached this church area, he pulled up near her place, and had me get out, and piles and piles of kids and parents came out to watch me.  Well, when I greeted her, Joseph suddenly grabbed my camera and said, "Pray for her."  I sat on the porch in front of her, and reached out and held her hand.  She had lost MUCH water a few weeks earlier, but now looked as if she was several months pregnant through the water re-entering her system.  I simply prayed for her... but I have no idea what I said.  My heart was so buried in her, so buried in this situation.  All I could do was what I was called to do.  And, along with the photo, the Word is "...whatever the Lord wants you to do."  

A few minutes later, we hit the road, went around and about, and bought food, blankets [they had only one for their family at that time, so we

could NOT not get some!], and other necessities.  One of the churches that had so much food in place for people, and giving it away, was very helpful.  We were able to get a PILE of it!  Anyhow, I was blessed to be taken around and about and serving the Lord, to bless her and her family.  And help Pastor Joseph.  She had been on many hearts of the local pastors and their members.  I had been told much, but never had seen her.  That was the blessing of my day.  [AND we chose many items, around and about town, and I paid for it all, and the total came to about $25.00.  Here, it would have been lots more than a hundred.]

I reached Omaha on February 12, 2004, just about a month since I'd seen her  A couple months later, Joseph was actually in Virginia, brought over to do some spiritual schooling by a church for a few weeks, and one of the first things he told me when he called was that she had died.  Everyone who knew her, knew she was now in heaven, and all the pain was gone, and she was now with her family members that had been murdered.

Oh, and even though there's not a picture of Joseph and I together, this is one of my favorites that I had taken of him and his helpers and the refugees who were living on his church property.  

I look forward to seeing her and many of my other dear ones when I get to heaven.  [And, could see a few if I could go to Uganda again and head up to Soroti... which I've wanted to do for 9 years now, but, oh, well...]