Life and Death

There is a lot of death here.

Sometimes it feels like it’s just normal. People die, right? But here, so many people die, and die early, in ways that my western mind feels should not happen. Children die, mother’s die, husbands are left as widowers.

It seems that every month we get a notice about someone in our work family who has died. Deaths, crying funerals burials. A sad and repeating cycle.

This past 12 months has been particularly hard.

It started with the death of our gardener. Amon. A beautiful, quiet guy. He did his work well with care and commitment. He left behind a wife and two children. He died from a treatable illness.

2 of our teachers were pregnant and lost their babies. One baby died during delivery, the other died near full term. 6 months later, the mother also died from liver trouble and I lost a friend.

My neighbour also lost her baby at 6 months. It was a devastating moment as we buried the tiny baby in the back garden.

One of the teachers at the farm school in rural Zambia lost their 8-year-old daughter. She suddenly and unexpectedly died.

There have been sisters, brothers, parents, uncles for our teachers die over the past year. Each one brings a level of grief for us as we see our teachers in pain. Accidents, illnesses and unknown causes.

People die. And when they know Jesus, there’s joy in the fact that they are now with Jesus. But there is still pain at the loss. A heartache over what could have been if their lives had continued.

I don’t understand it. I don’t understand why people die early and young. But that’s my perspective as a human. What I do know is that God is good, in control and he is faithful. He is the one who provides comfort and peace throughout these situations.

I don’t understand. But I trust God.