Elnnisa lived in a village south of Ati, Chad. She traveled three days by foot to the American Clinic, carrying her frail, six-month-old daughter who weighed only six pounds. The mother, malnourished and unable to produce breast milk, had fed her daughter cow’s milk, causing an allergic reaction. The small child had developed bumps all over her body. Elnnisa hoped this American Clinic could help the child, but there was no longer anything we could do for her. She was too malnourished to survive. Elnnisa’s six-month-old child, not yet old enough to speak, would never grow up. She was going to die.
I lived in Ati for about three months. On Saturday mornings I would help volunteer at the clinic. I usually worked with the infants and toddlers, where I would weigh and measure them. Chad is the third poorest country in the world. I saw a lot of sick children.
Yet, I will never forget the look in Elnnisa’s eyes when we gently spoke to her. The American Clinic was probably her last hope for her daughter. I remember her eyes watering as she tried to hold back tears. Her baby girl raised her tiny arms towards Elnnisa’s face. Lifting her up and holding the child close, the mother stared directly into my eyes. I could see her eyes screaming, “Is there really no hope for my daughter? Is there nothing you can do?”
Later that same week an older man came to the clinic complaining of pain in his leg. Abdul had stepped on a thorn about 3-4 weeks prior to coming and he believed he had pulled it out. When he arrived, they quickly realized his leg was infected and the infection was spreading fast. There was no longer anything they could do for the man; they had to amputate. The next day, I came to visit him in the hospital. He had the same hopelessness in his eyes that I had seen Elnnisa. Abdul was a farmer, an occupation requiring two legs and now he only had one. How was he to provide for his family? Was there no hope for him now?
After a year in Chad, I had to move unexpectedly to Cairo, Egypt. Cairo is more established and wealthier than Chad. Mohamed Morsi, the Egyptian president, was the first democratically “elected” head of state in 5000 years. Egyptians have been controlled by many different countries throughout history and they were hoping for change. As part of the Muslim Brotherhood, Morsi instituted changes that upset the Egyptians, leading to the largest Egyptian protest in history. During this painful year, I saw an all too familiar sense of hopelessness in the eyes of the Egyptian people. They seemed to cry out, “Will there ever be hope for us? Isn’t the Egyptian Government supposed to make this a better place?”
At that moment, I clearly felt God reminding me of the hope these people needed. It was nothing I could give them. My American ways, money, education, nothing would ever be enough for these people. Only God could provide that hope they needed.
The disciples must have experienced a similar hopelessness at the death of Jesus Christ. They had heard stories and waited years for the Savior. They believed God’s Kingdom would start on Earth; Jesus was going to take down the Roman Empire. The disciples had spent three years following Jesus, only to see him crucified on the cross. This was not how it was supposed to happen. With crushed hopes, the disciples went back to their homes afraid, not knowing what to do next.
Yet, the story didn’t end there. Jesus was resurrected and appeared to the disciples and many others. John 20:31 states, “but these things are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” The disciples and other followers of Jesus realized they could lay their hope in God because of what Christ did for us on the cross.
Jesus Christ is the hope that people need to hear; the hope people should rest their heads on. God has sent those who believe to spread that hope to others. The hope people are looking for, is not through health, money, government, or respect. None of that will ever be enough. The hope people need is through God. Where does your hope lay?
“For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.”-1 Timothy 4:10 (ESV)
-Church Member