Africa Journal Posting 7
The Leper Beside the Road
As Alida and I walked along the road there was a man sitting just off the sidewalk. His legs were sticking out on to the sidewalk. He had a plastic cup that he used to collect his money. People rushed by him in a hurry to get some place important. He never caught their gaze or they would have stopped. Or maybe – they were used to him being there each day. This is one of the many beggars that we have seen from place to place.
It was then that I noticed that he had no feet and no hands. All four were gone at the joint just below the main bones. He had nothing but stumps. This fellow was a 2007 Leper.
He reached to adjust the cup with his two stumps.
The left leg of his pants was very dirty and ragged – worse than the right. It appeared that he slid along the sidewalk to this point. There was no other means for him to get where he was.
As I write this it is raining hard outside. I wonder what happened to him – where did he go. There are a number of slums in the area that is not far from where he was sitting. Perhaps he is back there now. Each of these slums that we saw are perched on a small creek beds or near them for their water supply. One of the slum areas we saw has over 800,000 people living there.
Back at a Guest House...
I have watched some TV on a Television at the guest house we first stayed in. The one program that we viewed was some re-broadcasts from the USA – Christian TV from the US in Nairobi. Over and over again the TV personality asked people to call in... make a pledge and give money. His latest book was available – telling how you could see God make you rich if you gave to this ministry.
At the bottom of the screen there was a series of local numbers for people in Nairobi to call. This program was out of North or South Carolina however – so donations for it would be forwarded I am surmising.
The preacher went on to tell how when he graduated from College he had 10 year old car that didn't work well. The AC didn't work and the drivers side window wouldn't roll down. He almost melted on the way to church. The white preacher went on to tell how tough it was and how he had been helped by God.
The preacher said that it was all made possible by sowing into someone's life – give your money away to a TV ministry and it will come back to you over and over again! Wow – how easy could that be. Call the number at the bottom of the screen and the people would receive your money gladly – you could sow into the ministry that you were watching from North or South Carolina. WOW!
I nearly gagged when I listened to this idiot. He doesn't know poor. He doesn't know how lucky he was to have a car let along one that had AC. I have been really bothered that this kind of stuff goes out over the airwaves and cable lines in Nairobi. This is the AMERICAN LEPER asking for what they ask for best – MONEY – God forgive us for our “ministries”.
The man beside the road today was not nearly so bad a shape as the stupid, rich, crying for more money, AMERICAN PREACHER was. God help them both.
My prayer...
“Dear God – I am ashamed of what I see and hear in your name. What a bunch of “baloney”. Please forgive me for wanting to rip out the TV antenna from every Nairobi house – pulling out all the cable lines. Oh God please let that money hungry preacher come to see what is really happening beside the road with the leper that can't walk. God let them both discover you and find the help that they need.”
~ Pastor Murray Lincoln ~
PS – as we drove by the slum today there were some TV antennas standing tall above the tin roof. God help us to be honest enough to day that this isn't right.
As Alida and I walked along the road there was a man sitting just off the sidewalk. His legs were sticking out on to the sidewalk. He had a plastic cup that he used to collect his money. People rushed by him in a hurry to get some place important. He never caught their gaze or they would have stopped. Or maybe – they were used to him being there each day. This is one of the many beggars that we have seen from place to place.
It was then that I noticed that he had no feet and no hands. All four were gone at the joint just below the main bones. He had nothing but stumps. This fellow was a 2007 Leper.
He reached to adjust the cup with his two stumps.
The left leg of his pants was very dirty and ragged – worse than the right. It appeared that he slid along the sidewalk to this point. There was no other means for him to get where he was.
As I write this it is raining hard outside. I wonder what happened to him – where did he go. There are a number of slums in the area that is not far from where he was sitting. Perhaps he is back there now. Each of these slums that we saw are perched on a small creek beds or near them for their water supply. One of the slum areas we saw has over 800,000 people living there.
Back at a Guest House...
I have watched some TV on a Television at the guest house we first stayed in. The one program that we viewed was some re-broadcasts from the USA – Christian TV from the US in Nairobi. Over and over again the TV personality asked people to call in... make a pledge and give money. His latest book was available – telling how you could see God make you rich if you gave to this ministry.
At the bottom of the screen there was a series of local numbers for people in Nairobi to call. This program was out of North or South Carolina however – so donations for it would be forwarded I am surmising.
The preacher went on to tell how when he graduated from College he had 10 year old car that didn't work well. The AC didn't work and the drivers side window wouldn't roll down. He almost melted on the way to church. The white preacher went on to tell how tough it was and how he had been helped by God.
The preacher said that it was all made possible by sowing into someone's life – give your money away to a TV ministry and it will come back to you over and over again! Wow – how easy could that be. Call the number at the bottom of the screen and the people would receive your money gladly – you could sow into the ministry that you were watching from North or South Carolina. WOW!
I nearly gagged when I listened to this idiot. He doesn't know poor. He doesn't know how lucky he was to have a car let along one that had AC. I have been really bothered that this kind of stuff goes out over the airwaves and cable lines in Nairobi. This is the AMERICAN LEPER asking for what they ask for best – MONEY – God forgive us for our “ministries”.
The man beside the road today was not nearly so bad a shape as the stupid, rich, crying for more money, AMERICAN PREACHER was. God help them both.
My prayer...
“Dear God – I am ashamed of what I see and hear in your name. What a bunch of “baloney”. Please forgive me for wanting to rip out the TV antenna from every Nairobi house – pulling out all the cable lines. Oh God please let that money hungry preacher come to see what is really happening beside the road with the leper that can't walk. God let them both discover you and find the help that they need.”
~ Pastor Murray Lincoln ~
PS – as we drove by the slum today there were some TV antennas standing tall above the tin roof. God help us to be honest enough to day that this isn't right.
posted by Murray Lincoln at
Thursday, April 19, 2007
1 Comments:
What an injustice that you have described. Here we sit in our cozy homes in our attitude of "woe is me" when we have absolutely no idea what it is like to be in desperate circumstances. Thank you for causing us to pause and thank God for our abundance and thank you for the eye opening account of who the real "leper" is.
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