Life is short

I went to chapel with Drew this morning. One thing I noticed right away that is different than church or what I remember from my college chapel days, people here sit very close together. As people come in they walk to the furthest pew in the front and fill in until the pew is packed, then the next pew fills up, and on and on to the back of the church. Back home we sit randomly and put our things next to us so that no one sits too close. After chapel there were announcements and prayer requests. One of the student's mother had passed away during the night and her burial is today. Wow, that just seems so fast. My mom died on a Monday, we had her funeral on that Thursday and I remember thinking that was too fast. Drew came home this morning after only being at work for a short while. Alias, one of the guys he has been working with;his 2 sisters died since yesterday afternoon of malaria. Alias showed up to work this morning because he had no way to pay the 3000 cfa ($6) for the bus ride home to be there for the burial. He planned to just work but Drew couldn't imagine not being there for a family funeral and gave him the money for the bus. Think of it, that wouldn't even buy us both our favorite coffee at Starbucks. Life seems so fragile here - but is it really? In America, we have this false sense of security but even there our days are numbered.

Pray today for Alias and his family as they bury his 2 sisters, and for the family that has lost their mother. Pray also that we would live in the moment and make each day count for God's glory. Reading this morning in Exodus 16 - the Israelite s are complaining and wishing they were back in Egypt... kind of struck a note with me. For months we prayed that God would provide a way for us to get to Africa... and now that I am here, I find myself longing for Minnesota. Pray that I will embrace this culture and live for today with my eyes wide open to see what God has for me. Thank you friends!