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April 30, 2008
In Pastor's Words
God is There Even On Our Worst Days
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who
love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
Have you ever had a really bad day? A day when everything seemed to go wrong? Thank the Lord that most days are good days, but every now and then a day comes along that really challenges our mettle. It was our first year on the mission field in Africa and we had not seen a TV program or a movie in ten months. Swiss Family Robinson was playing in a Nairobi theater and we thought going to watch it would be a nice first outing for the three of us. Up to that point, our first ten months in Africa had been filled with ups and downs. We arrived in Africa in December 1978, but really didn’t begin our ministry on the Scott Theological College campus until early 1979. Our three-crate shipment arrived by ship to Mombasa (Kenya’s large port city located 300 miles away) around the last of January. Upon claiming the goods, we discovered that about half of our belongings had been stolen at sea. Following that disappointing surprise, serious sickness struck our four year old during the next three months. Two debilitating bouts with malaria and food poisoning left Jonathan hospitalized near death with a third of his body weight claimed by the illnesses. After recovering from those early setbacks in the next few months, we felt we were long overdue for some kind of an outing. We were grateful that the car we shipped with the crates (a used ’74 Robin’s egg blue station wagon) had not been stolen or damaged. However it did have a perpetual problem of the coil overheating and stalling at the most inopportune times, leaving us stranded on numerous occasions, requiring us to push, tow or coast it back to Machakos. Now that you know all that, join with us for a day to Nairobi on September 21, 1979 as we begin our 40 mile journey to see Swiss Family Robinson.
We made it to Nairobi and almost made it to the theater when the car, up to its old tricks, overheated and quit on one of Nairobi’s busiest traffic circles. Some Africans standing near-by helped me push the car a couple of blocks down the busy six lane thorough fare to a service station for repair. As we waited for the car to be fixed we walked to a close-by fast food outlet for some fish, chips and juice which did not set at all well with Jonathan’s touchy digestive system. So, upon returning to the service station waiting room, he became suddenly sick and lost what lunch he had eaten all over the floor of the people-packed waiting room. No one could find any towels or a mop to clean up the mess. So there we sat for hours in that smelly waiting room, waiting for the car to be repaired and wishing we could have been almost anywhere else! Finally qualified mechanics assured us that the car was fixed and we paid them handsomely to hear those words. It was supper time, so we stopped at the Kentucky Fried Chicken place before leaving the city. On the way home, we discovered the chicken was only half cooked and the rolls contained assorted insect parts and other indiscernible matter. So much for supper! We barely made it home when the engine of our just-repaired car quit on its own as we pulled into our driveway. Within an hour of our arriving home, I became seriously ill with amoeba dysentery which lasted through the night into the next morning. A visiting missionary neighbor discovered how sick I was and went to fetch a doctor in town who determined that I should really be in the hospital. Recovery took several weeks. Eventually, a local mechanic fixed the car so that it never stranded us again.
Even on one of our worst days, when the car stalled on the busiest traffic circle in Nairobi, God sent people to help push it to a service station; despite the high cost of the car repair that day, God prepared people ahead of time to help with the expense; although our car just made it home before conking out again, God allowed us to arrive home safely; even though I fell ill with amoeba dysentery, God used the illness to bring us into contact with a doctor who would not only meet our medical needs for many years to come (and would be of indispensable help to Carolyn), but who would also become a great friend with whom we would be able to share the love of Christ many times in the next 25 years. Take heart, God is there with us even on our worst days because, whether we are instantly aware of it or not, all things do work together for those who know and love Jesus Christ
Pastor Ralph Partelow
Posted by Jennifer Herrmann at April 30, 2008 11:44 AM