Life Is But A Vapor

July 2011, Kelli came to serve alongside us in Nyimba. We started out the morning in prayer and Bible Study before we set off to share the Good News of Jesus Christ in the neighboring village. The first house we stopped at had three teenage boys sitting under a mango tree in the front yard.
We sat on rickety chairs made of wood, and water jugs and began to ask them about their faith. They told us that they attended Acts Apostolic Faith church and that they had never prayed to receive Christ. With smiles on their faces the three young men prayed to receive Christ. Soon after they asked questions about what to do when witchcraft came to them at night. Immediately we looked at the Armor of God and how we should call upon the name of the Lord in our time of need. That day, Manda prayed to receive Christ.

April 4, 2012, it was late, he had worked a long hard day loading maize (corn) onto the truck. They started their journey home after dark. Deep in the bush, with a four hour drive ahead of them, the trip was dangerous. The load was large and the people on top of the maize were probably exhausted. Suddenly, Manda fell from the top of the load and was crushed under the weight of the truck. I pray that his decision for Christ was genuine, if so, Manda at 21 years old was immediately escorted to Heaven by the angels. His mother, brother, and sister Margaret along with many others wept at his sudden death. I was stunned, shocked, and thankful for that day with Kelli, Jumbe, and Zeria that Manda had heard the Gospel.

May 1, 2012, the coolness of the morning was still in the air. The gardener walked the dusty path to work. A young man, 24 years of age, asked him for 1,000 kwacha (20 cents) to buy tomatos. The gardener told him that he was not carrying money today but if he could borrow it from someone else then he would give him the 1,000 kwacha to repay the person who loaned him the money. The gardener was fearful that the young man would use the money for beer, but honestly did not have any money. 3:00pm the phone rings, the news on the other end of the line shot a bolt of shock, sadness, and fear through the gardener. The young man, 24 years old, was hit and killed by a truck on the road near his home at 11:00am. The same road that the gardener had seen him on that morning. Sadly, this time the young man had not been given the chance to accept Christ like his brother Manda was. Sadly, his mother has lost both of her sons in one month. Margaret, their sister, is weeping again one month after the loss of Manda. Margaret is a follower of Jesus Christ and so is her mother. Both of them attend the Baptist church.

Recently the Lord has drawn me time and time again to Luke 16:19-30. The Gospel is available to all people and we need to be bold to share it. I am praying from the deepest part of my heart that Manda's brother did at some time come to know Christ. If not, he is begging for a drop of water from Abraham. If we truly love people, we must tell them about the good news of Jesus Christ. Life is but a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow. Who have you told about Jesus today? Will you be like the gardener and wished that you had taken the time to share the Gospel with that person?