The World is Good. The World is Bad.

Good and Evil, age-old bedmates, are starkly obvious in Africa. A simple story illustrates. Iris, with the face of an angel, struggles with a club foot and a back deformity. Still, she manages to work from pre-dawn to dusk at the overcrowded health dispensary, doing everything from AIDS diagnosis to delivering babies. Tenacious, bold, loving, and determined, she is a shining presence. But one day her crutch is stolen. She sighs. She grabs a big stick to try to make due, and she goes on.On Sunday I see her, her smile bright and wide. “A man in the community brought me a new crutch. He saw me struggling. It’s a beautiful one!!” And sure enough, its design and sturdy sheen seem alien to a world where most things seem to have been belched up from centuries past. Her crutch is a beauty. “You see, Mama Rinda, there are good things and bad things in the community. We just need to be sure we are part of the good.” And she is!A bright spot in a sea of despair.