Yet Again

I had such hope in Saviour (third from the left in the tan hat). He was one of the brightest students in my class. Being a natural leader, all the boys looked up to him and wanted to be around his charismatic aura. Saviour Mwila spoke the best english, finished his math sets quickly, and interacted in ways that made the whole class burst into laughter. And to be honest, he quickly learned how to gauge my patience level, and then push me alittle further. I think it was a game he liked to play with me. 'How to Irritate Madam'. Nevertheless, he had influence over his classmates, so I often looked to him for help in settling the class down. He probably felt sorry for my feable attempts at maintaining class order by using Bemba phrases like 'lekeni ichongo!' and 'umfweni!'

He also was pretty well-off, relatively speaking. Both his parents were alive, and they both worked. When I met with his dad at the end of the term, he was interested in Saviour's education and proud that his son was second in a class of 61 students. With the help of a translator, I explained to Mr. Mwila that Saviour was very bright and could go to college. I pleaded with Mr. Mwila to keep Saviour in school. If Saviour stays in school, he could break the cycle of poverty... That's what I was thinking. That's what I was hoping.

So Saviour stayed in school this past year, and he got the top score for his Grade Seven Exams- meaning that he could go to secondary school- and his parents were going to pay for his annual school fees!

But then sad news, yet again. Saviour died a few days ago from malaria. He had received anti-malarial drugs, but he wasn't improving. He died on the way to the hospital. And my heart breaks.

My friend summarized it well- 'Malaria is the symptom, Injustice is the disease'. And kids are dying because of the disease of injustice. I could go on about the injustices of extreme poverty. How insufficient healthcare, under-resourced schools, malnutrition, corruption, etc are very real symptoms of injustice and evil in our world. If we put it in the theological framework of 'the kingdom of God is already, but not yet', the cycle of poverty is a clear example of the 'not yet'. We have not yet stepped into a place of peace and restoration.

And so we live in this tension. This tension that says we can have hope because redemption and justice will win- and yet in the meantime, Saviour dies of Malaria in 2010, Alex (left) dies of malnutrition in 2009, and the list of injustices continues...

In the midst of this tension, I ache. My heart aches for all of us that are experiencing the 'not yet'. May our aching cause us to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.