Qaado ilmahayga!

I have recently been reading a book by Nik Ripken titled "The Insanity of God."   I am only about half way through it, but there was a particular part of a chapter that really spoke to me - though perhaps not in the way the author may have intended.

In the chapter, Nik and his wife - Ruth - have established an relief organization in Africa; working to feed and spread the word of God.   As the story goes, Nik is traveling to some of the more remote parts of Somalia and finds that many of these areas have not been able to feed themselves adequately for more than four years.   They find that some towns have completely disappeared - all of the inhabitants having starved to death.  In other towns, the parents gave all of the food to the children, and died of starvation - leaving only the children to survive.  In others, the children have all starved or died of sickness leaving the grieving parents.   Nik and his team find a stark view of suffering that many are not prepared for.

As the team approaches another town with trucks filled with medical supplies and food, things get really tense as several people approach the trucks and are shouting.   They are instantly filled with fear as they think the people approaching the trucks are coming to stop the trucks and steal all of the supplies.   However, as the situation develops, Nik hears one of the mothers yelling out "Qaado ilmahayga!" As she tries to push her baby thru the open truck window.   "Please take my baby!   All of my other children have died, please save this one!"   They quickly find that the people approaching the trucks are the mothers of the area towns that still have children and are so desperate for their sons/daughters to survive that they are willing to give them up to strangers in a hope that they will live a long life.   

As I read that section of the book, I was struck by not only the suffering the Somali people were going thru, by the powerful demonstration of love, but also by the strength of the love that God must have for each of us that He sent His only Son to live as an example for and to die for all of us so that we may have the promise of eternal life with Him.   Just as the Somali mother's were willing to give up their children so that they may live, God gave up His Son so that we might live.