Ch'airo For The Soul: Pastors, Death and Mercy

Yesterday evening I arrived home from a weekend in La Paz where I attended the quarterly Junta Pastoral (pastors' meeting) along with James and JJ. These meetings are not my favorite thing to do, candidly speaking. But they are necessary in the life of the church. The day Saturday was spent mostly in reports of one kind or another. One of the best reports was on Liberty School. However, since I was not there (I was visiting someone in the hospital - more on that below) I cannot give you a personal account but I understand that the pastor in charge of the construction program, Mario Castro, really challenged the brothers to see that they can do the needed work at the school without relying on the North (read that USA) for the financing. He then challenged the pastors about making a monthly commitment toward the support of the school. Sunday morning I was invited to teach Sunday School, although I really preached. They had given me the text from Matthew 25, the parable of the Sheep and the Goats at the last judgment. As I told the pastors, that text really makes me uncomfortable and I have to ask, how many times have I left Jesus out in the cold?

Sunday afternoon I went over to see the how the new construction is going on the school building. I was quite happy with what I saw. A new small cement court for a version of soccer, has been poured and the loza (cement slab that will be the roof of the first floor but the floor of the second level) has also been finished. Next will be the job of pouring the floor and putting up the walls. The goal is to have everything done before January in order to be able to show parents and prospective students the progress the school is making.

Saturday afternoon I skipped out of the session in order to go the hospital where a former pastor is a patient. Zenobio Cusi was active with the youth of our churches in his early years. Then he fell back into the world and for quite a long time was not around. Then he made a genuine repentance and returned to the Lord and to the church. He served as secretary of the national governing board of the church for a term. But then the call of world again seemed to be too strong for him and he once more returned to the world, conscientiously making the decision to leave the Lord behind. As he told one of our other pastors, life was better now that he was away from the Lord.

A week ago he and his family and some others went together in a van to a fiesta somewhere in the campo (country side). Alcohol is always an integral part of these festivities and apparently this one was no exception. On the way back to La Paz, Zenobio's son-in-law was driving the van. The combination of alcohol and too much speed resulted in the van rolling over several times with deadly results. Zenobio suffered a broken shoulder and leg and foot. But he was lucky. His son-in-law, his daughter, his wife, a sister of his wife and a granddaughter were all killed. (There may have been a couple of other deaths as well along with this family members. I am not real clear on that point.) A number of our pastors had charge of the burials. While Zenobio was able to see the caskets briefly at him home, he was in surgury while the funeral was being held.

When I saw him he seemed to be in a repentant state. I think he realizes now the cost of serving the world instead of the Lord. He was truly a recipient of God's grace to be spared to be given another opportunity to repent. Why was he spared and his wife not spared? Why id the young granddaughter die? I really don't have an answer. Was it simply chance and the laws of nature at work? Did God directly interviene to spare Zenobio? I don't know that either. But this I know, Zenobio needs to make a firm commitment to the Lord that will not waver. Will you join me in praying for him that he will let God get a hold of his life so tightly that he will never want to go away again.