The drive to Church Sunday was made difficult by the heavy rains from the previous night but with the help of 4x4 we made it safely. As we arrived, there was a procession of 200+ people coming down the road. We all immediately understood this to be the march of mourners on the way to a funeral. After making some inquiries, we found a man in his early 40s had died on Saturday after apparently enduring years of physical illness. Some said he had stopped taking his ARVs (HIV medicine) which likely caused his deterioration.
In these rural areas funerals take precedence over almost everything else. No one came to the church but a group of small children. We used the time to tell the children some Bible stories and sing some songs... but eventually, time was gone and I just decided to preach a short message. I was thrilled to see that eventually some adults arrived and we had a wonderful church service as we encouraged ourselves in the most holy Faith through God's word.
Before leaving for home, we went to visit the family of the deceased. We wanted to give some words of encouragement and pray for God's help at this time. I really didnt have many words but as I was stammering along I just tried to remind everyone that death is one event that will happen to all of us. Most of us dont want to think or even talk about this subject but as a preacher, it really is my desire to see people prepared for this inevitable event.
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