Pray for Oseta.

I just got one of those emails that I’ve been dreading since the moment I left Sudan.

 

Heinrich and Doris wrote. They were finally able to get back into Sudan—some problems at the border kept them in Loki longer than expected—but came back to bad news.

 

We arrived back here yesterday and after a few minutes we were again challenged by the "normal Lopit life," sickness and death.

People told us that a boy from (the village I lived in in the mountains) had a snakebite yesterday and is about to die.

People did cuts all over his body. Terrible!

They were looking for the "scorpion-machine" of Stephan but it seems it is inside his house locked. Pastor Philip could not get it. They looked for Heinrich for help but we were still gone. The clinic cannot do anything. So he is left to die now and people already gather on the compound and wait for it. People already mourn and are going to "hang otuare" (house of the funeral).

 

Heinrich went today to Husa to have a look. The boy is still responsive and knows English quite well. He said that you guys do know him. His name is Oseta. He is already a big boy. Do you remember him? Heinrich shared the gospel with him and he said he wants to be with Jesus and that he believes in him. They also prayed together. Heinrich told him that we will write to you and ask you to pray for him. Please do so and also for us as we go there tomorrow again and witness about Jesus.

 

So I’ve been sitting here bawling my eyes out since I got that one. Oseta is actually one of our good friends—one of the teenage boys who we really, really enjoyed. A great kid. It’s hard for me to get my head around the idea that he’s dying. Or perhaps already dead.

 

But, it could be that he’ll be going to heaven to be with Jesus, if he was honest in his desire to be with him. I pray that’s the case, that he really understood what Heinrich shared with him and what we have shared before.

 

So, pray for him. And pray for Heinrich and Doris, as they’re the only ones there right now…