zambian morgues and needles in haystacks

One week ago we found out that Bupe had died.   Days after the fact we got details.   He actually died on Thursday.  He was hit by a car and died on the scene.  He was brought to the morgue at the hospital and was left there.   

Joe was left with the grim task of looking for and identifying his body.   Take everything that you think you know about sterilized morgues in America and flush it.  Needless to say it was a hard day for Joe.   Because of the nature of the accident, the time which it happened and the fact that there was a major bus accident that happened around the same time, Bupes case was lost.   No papers were signed, no documentation was made, no accident reports were filed, no nothing.  So, Joe literally had to look through bodies until he found Bupe.  

Where does that leave us?  We have been given the monumentally impossible task of looking for his family.   Talk about finding a needle in a stack of needles.   As we were not legal guardians of Bupe, we have to rights to take his body and bury him.  Yes, that means he is still in the morgue.  And yes, it is ripping my heart out.  Ten days after he has died he still hasn’t been given a proper burial.  

There hasn’t been much else I have been able to think about this week.  (That and what sweet sweet Joe has had to endure.) 

Today, while in the worship service at church, God gave me a beautiful gift.  We were singing songs of God’s triumphant power, how God is God and we are not and that his love never fails and never gives up.  In tears and complete surrender to the presence of God,  I saw something in my minds eye.  I saw Bupe at the throne of Jesus.  I saw him burden free.  I saw him happy, truly happy.  I saw him dancing and singing.  He was wearing a beautiful white robe, and he was smiling.  The burden that I saw in his eyes while he was here on earth was gone.  He was free!  And then I heard this in my heart….“Don’t worry for him anymore!  He is with Me and he is safe!”

Some would say that my mind has made that vision up to make my self feel better, but I do truly and sincerely believe that God allowed me a brief glimpse into what was going so that I would know truly know that Bupe is with Jesus.   All the questions that have been raging in my mind this week “Did we fail him?  Did we do enough to make sure he know about Jesus?  Did we love him enough?” were answered in that moment.     

Pray that we can find Bupe’s family.  We think they might be located in a village somewhere along the border of Zambia and the Congo.  Please pray that they will see Jesus in how we are treating Bupe’s death.  I am believing God that through this process their family will begin to know the freedom of Jesus.  

Please pray for Joe.  This has been very difficult on him.  Pray that we have the wisdom to know how to guide him through this.  Pray that he will be able to talk through all he experienced and that he won’t be plagued in him mind with what he had to see in the morgue.  

Let me leave you with this……If you are reading this and you don’t know Jesus as your savior, I plead with you…..GIVE UP THE FIGHT!  You don’t have to walk around burdened any longer.  Lay your heavy burden down and let Jesus, who is the author and the finisher of EVERYTHING carry you!  He can and will give your life hope, meaning, purpose and love.  All you have to do is surrender your heart.  Give up the sin that burdens and weighs you down and walk free in Jesus bathed in the peace that passes all understanding.  You will never regret it.  I haven’t.