Here's another letter, this time from the Conrods, demonstrating God's power through a recent answer to prayer for healing.
Dear Friends,
I feel a need to update you all with something that is happening here. Maybe some of you think that missionaries have lots of faith ("I mean someone's got to have faith to move to Africa... right?") Well, the truth is that we all struggle. I personally have had many struggles with my faith through the years and this past year here has been no different. In fact, it has probably been even harder than other years. As you know from reading our updates, we see a lot of death here. It's very hard being here, representing the Creator, telling them how much He cares, praying, and then seeing death claim the victory time after time. I especially think that it's important with the Baka, as they already believe in many "spiritual" things. They need to see that God is more powerful than all their charms and rituals. The continual defeat did not help my struggles with faith.
There is a little boy here named Ambili. About a week after we arrived in the bush back in Nov 2005, he was about a month old and almost died. We took him to the Catholic Clinic in town and he survived. Yet throughout the entire year he's been sick many times. Sometime around Oct/Nov 2006 he started to lose weight. He started to look like he would die any day. One time the nuns treated him but said that it didn't look like he'd make it until the follow-up visita week later. Another time they didn't think he'd survive the night. We prayed for him periodically when he was sick and I was more than once surprised that he was still alive. But he still got worse.
One day in Nov he was here with his mom. I was sitting there just looking at him and praying (to myself). I finally told his mom that I was going to pray for him every day. So I did. And he only got worse.
I pleaded with God to show me His power by healing Ambili. I wanted Him to show me that He really does say "yes" sometimes to our prayers. Weeks later, when we saw him at the Christmas party we held at the camp and he still looked awful. He was still just skin and bones at about 15 months old now, and couldn't keep his head up for more than a few seconds at
a time. We were going to be leaving in just a few days for a missionary conference in another part of Cameroon. I wondered if he would still be alive when we returned. I doubted it.
This past Sunday (the 21st) I saw him again for the first time since our return. I was sitting out by the fire and Lendo (the Baka grandmother who lives next to us) was holding a baby on her lap--facing away from me. I thought it might be Ambili but I hadn't seen his mom around so I got up and walked around to see. I looked at the child for a few moments wondering if it was him. It sort of looked like him... but not really. Lendo, however, started talking about him and calling him Ambili and I realized that he just looked so different because he had gained weight. His face was fuller, his eyes more alert. He could hold his head up straight and look around--his neck was no longer so tiny that it looked like it would break just by the weight
of his head. There was muscle under his skin. He had made a huge turn-around since we had left the last week of December. Lendo (affectionately: "Mama Lendo") kept speaking. She said "Ambili's strong now because Jesus healed him."
I can't say that I chose to pray for Ambili out of my deep compassion, though I was truly concerned for his welfare. I chose to put God to the test with his case because I knew it was hopeless. Kids around here get sick and then get better all the time--that's life. When kids get really sick they die--that's life... here. He was way beyond the point of no return and it could only be by a miracle that he would recover. And that's why I chose to pray daily for him.
God chose to have mercy on him, yes. But God chose to have mercy on me as well. In my faithless state I reached out with what I could muster and prayed. And God responded.
The battles can be hard. The days many that we must fight. Yet let us stay on our knees and fight each day until the battles are won and we can lift God's banner high as we glory with Him in victory. The battle for Ambili is not yet over. He's well over a year old and extremely behind in normal development for his age. Will you continue to fight this battle along with me? And when we've won the battle for his health, will you fight with me for his soul?
By His grace and strength alone,
-Nathan A. Conrod
Luke 18:1-8
I Thess. 5:17
Praise God for His willingness to show us His faithfulness, even in our faithlessness!!!
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