After gathering several teammates, we circled around the bed of a sick and dying man. Unable to walk or support himself, Tonio is now totally bed-ridden at age 30. Though Tonio has only been sick for 15 months, it is evident that his kidney disease has rapidly progressed. Just this morning, I prayed for Ernesto, a 29 year old man with a wife and 4 year old daughter, who has the same disease. All people with this disease are in need of prayer, but as I looked down on Tonio withering away on a bed, the disease became real and frightening. Desperate to see this man healed, we lifted our voices to God, praying for a miracle.
As I rode home in the truck, the scene that I witnessed in Bethel laid heavy on my heart. These men, Tonio and Ernesto, should not be dying. None of the hundreds or thousands of men that have this kidney disease should be dying. They all contracted this incurable kidney disease from pesticides in the sugarcane fields. Now a well-known fact, young men still come to work in the deadly sugarcane fields in order to support their families. Tonio started working in the fields when he was just a boy, just trying to help support his family. For all of these men, they didn't have much of a choice. Either they and their families could fall into deeper poverty, or they could go to work in the sugarcane fields, totally aware that they will contract the disease. Upon being diagnosed, the men are fired from their jobs and sent home. Some live for many years after being diagnosed. Some have only a few months. There is no cure, only medication that will slow the progression of the disease.
Sugarcane is Nicaragua's biggest export and is a key ingredient in many of the sweet drinks and candies we love. As sweet as sugarcane is, it makes me sick just thinking about the price paid for the sweetness. I've been thinking a lot about this problem, one that would never be allowed to continue in the United States, one that shouldn't be allowed here. If these pesticides used on the sugarcane plants inevitably cause a fatal kidney disease, why don't the sugar cane companies use different pesticides? As I thought about this, an answer came to me with a sinking feeling in my chest. These pesticides are cheaper than safe pesticides. Instead of paying extra to ensure the safety of their workers, sugarcane companies continue to use pesticides that eventually kill their employees in order to gain a little money, blood money. A little extra money gained, but the price is death. A price not paid by the company owners who reap the benefits, but paid by the desperate young men who work daily for low wages and unwanted doses of poison.
Images of sugarcane fields that we drove through one day
Riding home, feeling sick as I thought about these things, Satan chose to attack my faith. I momentarily questioned God for why such things (and things far worse) exist in the world. I was pulled out of my deep thoughts as someone commented on the sunset. The sky was beautiful! The sun was a perfect glowing ball of orange and yellow sinking below a sky of purple, red, orange and yellow. As I watched the sun descend, I was reminded of God's incredible beauty. Turning the other direction, I saw the volcano, tall and powerful, cast in a light of orange, reflecting the sunset. Together, the beauty of the sunset and the power of the volcano reminded me of God's perfect majesty. The devil may have poisoned our previously perfect world with death, disease, and sin, but God is still in control. God is still worthy of being praised!
Thank you Father for the grace that covers all sin. Thank you that all believers have a perfect home in heaven. Thank you that Tonio, Ernesto, and every sick or suffering person will be healed in heaven. Thank you, Lord, that even in the face of death, you still reign!
