On Feb. 10th, I was driving along enjoying the uncommon opportunity of listening to what I wanted to listen to instead of the oh so fun Primary/nursery type songs my kids want to listen to all the time. When I get a chance to do this I flip through the stations hoping to find a grown-up song I like but I always end up listening to talk radio - specifically NPR/BBC programs. (I think I just like listening to the adult conversations. Sometimes they can be too liberal so I turn them off, but usually I enjoy hearing about events and people from all over the world.)
The program at that time was called BBC Outlook. The reporter was interviewing a woman named Hilda Ndude who was the woman in charge of protocal/security/scheduling etc on the day Nelson Mandela was released from prison 20 years ago - Feb. 11, 1990. She is the woman walking behind Mr. Mandela and his wife - the one with the worried look on her face.
After discussing the events of that day and Mandela's influence on South Africa and also the world, the reporter asked, "Do you think, Hilda, do you think there will ever be another South African like Nelson Mandela?" With her thick South African accent, Hilda's response naturally and understandably was, "Unfortunately not. It is so unfortunate. We'll never, ever...this country will never ever see a man that can be able to unite and bring South Africans together like Nelson Mandela has done. He was one of his kind and there will never be another one, unfortunately." http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/2009/03/000000_outlook.shtml
I agreed with Hilda's comment. I have written about my admiration for Nelson Mandela before (see "Unconquerable"). He is a great man. But as I listened to Hilda's answer a memory from my mission came back to me with such force, tears came to my eyes.
The particulars are of no great significance. It was a regular missionary day filled with some tracting, some rejections, tons of great Lao food, scriptures, studying, lots of praying, searching and wondering. During the course of the day however, while sharing my testimony with a member struggling with her own testimony, a feeling entered my heart and spread through my whole body. It wasn't overpowering or visionary or earth shaking. It was simply an assurance that Jesus Christ will come again. It sounds so simple and something I have been taught all of my life but in that moment I KNEW it and the feeling has never left me. It is not a matter of "if" but "when".
So, Ms. Ndude, I, respectfully, beg to differ. A man will come who has an infinite capacity to unite and bring not only South Africa, but the world together. He will come and He will dry our tears and heal our hearts from the spiritual wounds only He is able to heal. He will come and we can have hope for a better world. He will come and every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is the Christ. Of Him it can truly be said "He IS one of a kind and there will never be another." He WILL come.
My dear sweet Ben and Lizzy, and all those who may read this now or in the future...I have complete faith that Jesus Christ will come again. I want you to know that I have no doubt.
This was a beautiful post... as most of yours are. I too KNOW He will come. Thank you.
ReplyDelete