“oh, when the saints, go marching in, oh, when the saints go marching in. oh Lord, i want to be in that number. when the saints go marching in.”

i went to a funeral today. the wife of one of the guards died of a heart attack shortly after child birth. although she has a previous heart condition, this death was fairly unexpected. the newborn baby boy is healthy and doing just fine, but has now entered a world where he doesn’t have a mother. i never met her but i know the husband (he usually helps us when we blow a fuse) so i thought i should pay my respects by attending. it was an interesting service in that, you probably wouldn’t really have known that it was a funeral by looking at the faces of those in attendance. no one was really emotional or distraught, but to be fair, there were probably about six-seven hundred people there and we were sitting near the back. but apparently, if someone is wailing, they will actually be escorted out of the church. i have noticed that Nigerians are not very sentimental people. at funerals back home, people will usually tell stories or testimonies on the person’s character but here, they didn’t really. some things were said and prayers were prayed but the whole service certainly was not focused on the woman that passed. but this is not to say that they do not care or are not emotionally engaged, because i am sure they are. but i think, maybe, they just have more practice at dealing with the things that are regarded as “tragic” in the western world. and what i do admire is their faith. they know where they are going when they die, and they believe it wholeheartedly. theirs is the kind of faith that can move mountains and allow a nation to continue living amidst the horrors that happen here. they are a resilient people and this is because of their faith in their God (regardless of whether they are Muslim or Christian). my heart cries for that kind of passion and commitment to come to the western world. i wonder if we need to face more tragedy to develop this kind of faith, or if we can realize it with all of the distractions still around us.

the husband wrote a little tribute in the bulletin handed out in the funeral. i read it and thought it was beautifully put.

my dearest wife,

the simplicity, humility, commitment and faithfulness you displayed in serving the Lord and the family over the years has great impact in my life. i will surely miss your heart moving, and greeting with a contagious smile. adieu my lovely wife! sleep well until we meet to part no more at Jesus’ feet. amen.

to have a love like this, and to know that we are loved infinitely more by our heavenly Father. let us know this love and put our faith in its promise.