A Long Way Gone

Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah

It is the tale of one boy who struggled to survive the civil war in Sierra Leone. While it is not exactly where we live, there is much that is similar to the place we live in terms of faith and culture. It was a hard read but a good read. Many of the people who live in our vicinity have come from neighboring countries and have lived through similar experiences, I would imagine. The first half was riveting though gruesome at times, which cast a dark cloud over my spirit. I knew I would have to finish the book quickly to get out from under the cloud. However, I would have been more disturbed if I had remained unemotional or unaffected by the accounts given.

I had a couple of favorite quotes.
"To survive each passing day was my goal in life."
"I knew that it was temporary and that we were only passing through. So I couldn't bring myself to be completely happy."
"I was never disappointed, since I always expected the worst to happen."
"Even though our journey was difficult, every once in a while, we were able to do something that was normal and made us happy for a brief moment."

I finished the book today. I am so glad I did.  It was good to see that some good people remained throughout the war. It did not end immensely happy, but it ended truthfully. Please read this book. It will change how you see the world truly.

My Faith is Too Small---Jennifer

As has been told in previous stories, Jennifer has struggled so much to feel loved. Her mother and brothers love her, but her husband and in-laws has been another story. She has seen how Rich has cared for me and how my family loves him. She has even seen us on bad days. As she says, "even the teeth and tongue fight when eating, but they live together." We have prayed together often for her to have peace and strength in the midst of the situation.

However, a couple of weeks ago I felt reprimanded in my quiet times. I sensed The Lord telling me that my faith is too small. What? My faith small? Hello!  I felt deeply that I had too small a faith by simply asking for The Lord to give her strength in the midst of the storm. I sensed The Lord telling me that I needed to pray for the hearts of the people in her home that were causing the problem, and thus she would have greater peace.

It cut me to the heart to know that my faith had been so small. I hurt to know that I could have been praying boldly and she might not have been suffering so for this time. But I cannot change yesterday. All I can do is begin today!

I told Jennifer later that day about my quiet time and confessed to her that my prayers and faith had been too small. I told her that no one is beyond The Lord's ability to change hearts. It was too much for her to even think about the possibility of that change. Her response was, "They are not people."  My heart broke that she had come to this feeling about them. So I prayed with her that The Lord would indeed change their hearts. I did not know if it would be that day, that weekend, this month, this year, but I knew that The Lord would indeed do what He told me to pray for, because He hears the prayers of his children.

A few days later, Jennifer and I were talking. I had not asked about progress because, once again, my hope was too small to believe that it had already begun. Praise Him for His faithfulness!  An in-law who had ceased to even speak Jennifer's name had begun calling out for her the last few days. Many hearts are still very hard in that house, but The Lord is able.

If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain fall into the ocean.....