April 22, 2009
By David Thompson, MD, serving in Gabon
Editor’s note: David Thompson is a missionary surgeon who has served at Bongolo Hospital for the past 31 years. His wife, Becki, an RN, directs the nursing school. Following are excerpts from the couple’s inspiring April 2009 newsletter.
Psalm 27:14 (NLT) says, “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”
Have you ever waited for God? That’s what Becki and I have been doing for much of our missionary careers-waiting for him to help us: not in discouragement, but in anticipation!
We’re also waiting for Jesus our King to return and take His rightful place as the undisputed ruler of this world. But until we finish the job He has called us to complete, He will wait for us.
The High Price of Impatience
Last Sunday night, a beautiful 19-year-old girl lost her chance to have children. She did not wait until she had a husband who would love her and love her child. When she missed her period, she paid some woman to push a stick into her uterus to kill her baby.
The problem was that her pregnancy was not where it was supposed to be, but in her fallopian tube. The stick perforated her uterus and unleashed a terrible infection. Three days later she came to Bongolo Hospital, and when we took her to surgery and opened her abdomen, we found a gangrenous uterus.
Following surgery and removal of her uterus, the young woman’s heart was broken, her mother was furious, and the two women exchanged harsh words.
Jesus, the Great Physician
But later, both women came to Jesus. Their tears stopped, and within a few days they forgave each other. This morning they sat next to each other on the bed holding hands and smiling!
Because Jesus waits for the brokenhearted and the sick, many seek and find Him. Since the beginning of this year at Bongolo Hospital:
- 270 people have found Jesus
- Many more have been healed, and
- Nearly 50 have been delivered from evil spirits.
How Long Must the Lost Wait?
Last month 30 overseas Alliance workers were cut from the Alliance payroll because of a lack of funds. America’s failing economy has precipitated a shortfall in giving to the Great Commission Fund that is impacting the world.
I can think of six or seven countries in Africa where less than 1 out of every 20 to 30,000 persons has heard the gospel, and where openly telling another person about Jesus Christ is against the law. When will their day come to hear? How long must they wait? Who will tell them? Who will spend the money to send them messengers?
God’s Promise to “Waiters”
I (Dave) am part of a Task Force from the Africa Region whose objective is to wait on God until He shows us how to reach the least-reached nations on the continent with the good news. Is this sheer fantasy?
Are we losing our minds to think that a tiny band of God’s people who already have too much to do and no money could dream of breaching the high walls that have defied the Church for centuries? Shouldn’t we wait until the economic crisis is over?
God’s reply is found in Isaiah 64:4 (NLT): “For since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him.”
Learn More
Check out “The Rule of Faith” [pdf] a preview of Dr. Thompson’s newest book, “The Truest Mercy,” in the April 2009 issue of alife.
Watch “Against All Odds,” a 2007 video in which Thompson talks about the ravages of AIDS and how The Alliance is offering hope to the hurting.
What You Can Do
Praise God for the teenager and her mom who gave their hearts to the Lord recently. Praise Him as well for the hundreds who have found Jesus, the many who have received healing, and the scores who have been delivered from evil spirits at Bongolo Hospital since the beginning of 2009!
Ask God to release His strategy to our Alliance team in Africa for sharing the good news in the continent’s least-reached nations. Petition the Lord for a release of funding and new workers to extend His Kingdom across Africa and the world.