Thoughts from TheJourney.

Bo in the Hole. Bo Smith standing in "Pothole" on African "Highway." — Bo in the Hole.
Bo Smith standing in “Pothole” on African “Highway.”

Urgent Prayer Need Posted on Tuesday, 18June, 2013

This morning our co-worker, boss, and friend, Bob Calvert, was involved in what we call “a missionary’s worst nightmare”: A child darted in front of his vehicle and was hit. Miraculousy, the child is going to recover. We praise God.

Read the following from Bob’s wife Nancy. Pray for Bob, Nancy, Stephen and his family.

Thanks much for praying! The 9 year old boy, Stephen, darted in front of a taxi without looking for cars. Bob was driving under the speed limit, even according to a witness at the scene & the lack of skid marks, and had slowed down to get around the stopped taxi. Stephen reversed his direction, putting him right in the middle of the car. Bob swerved so as not to crush the child with the tires. There are no broken bones, but the child did have a blood clot on the brain. He is now out of surgery and the neurosurgeon believes Stephen will make a full recovery. We praise God for sparing the life of this child!

Here are our prayer requests:

1. For Stephen to fully recover without any residual effects of the accident. Please pray for attentive doctors and nurses at Mulago hospital.

2. For Bob as he talks with the police tomorrow. He was told to take care of the child first & then return for all the report. Please pray that witnesses will be honest and that the police will be just.

3. For the family to be just in their dealing with the accident.

4. For one of our Southern Seminary interns who was in the front seat & is as shaken as Bob is.

5. For the Lord to be glorified in all this.

Thank you for standing with us! nancy

In New Sudan

I don’t have a photo of him.

I would never harm his dignity by taking one.

And I’m convinced he had a huge amount of dignity.

I have no photo but won’t forget him.

It was somewhere in South Sudan.

The African red dirt flew as his strong arms swung the pickaxe.

It appeared he was working in a hole on the roadside.

A second glance told us he was on his knees.

But then we realized the truth.

The man had no legs.

He was surrounded by a group of children.

I surmise they were his.

They waved as we passed,

But he never slowed in his work.

Four days later, we returned on the same road.

He was still working away surrounded by children.

I wish I’d known what project he was working on.

I believe he had one of the most important jobs a man can have:

Showing his children how to work.

Showing them there is no such thing as a handicap.

Reminding them that life is not easy or fair,

But that is no excuse to be a slacker.

Being an emotive storyteller, I wondered about his story.

This is war-torn South Sudan . . .

I’m sure he lost his legs to a land mine.

I have no photo of him

But will carry his image for the rest of my days.

I am honored to pass this image to you.

Thank you, Sir, for your gift.

Evidence of the resilience of the human spirit.

You may have lost your legs,

But you didn’t lose your heart.

In your country, the world’s newest nation of South Sudan,

Courage like yours will be needed to move past the past.

Lord, I pray for the spirit of men and women like my roadside friend.

May they find strength in You.

May You heal the hidden wounded hearts many carry.

Jesus, You are still called the “Prince of Peace.”

I pray for Your peace on this new nation I’m learning to love.

May Young and Old, Rich and Poor, African and Arab,

Find the life-changing peace you freely. Amen.

Great acts are made up of small deeds. -Lao Tzu click to tweet

To Africans, food is never far from their mind. When you live hand-to-mouth for your daily bread and famine and drought is never far away, food is an item you cherish. Here are several African proverbs on this subject:

“If you are looking for a fly in your food, it means you are full.” -African proverb

“One spoon of soup in need has more value than a pot of soup when we have an abundance of food.” -Angolan proverb

“One person is a thin porridge; two or three people are a lump of ugali.” -Kenyan proverb (Ugali is a popular tasteless grits-like dish.)

You can’t get shipwrecked if you don’t get on the ship.