Early on the morning of 14th August 2017, a major mudslide occurred in Freetown, the capital city of Sierra Leone. Following three days of torrential rainfall, thousands of tonnes of mud and debris damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings in the city, killing 1,141 people and leaving more than 3,000 homeless.
I have had a link with Sierra Leone for several years and was in Freetown about 18 months after it happened. I was taken to see the area by a friend who had been part of the Government relief effort. It was a sobering sight. The mudslide was, and remains to this day, an ugly red scar that slashes through the landscape. There are still many people believed buried underneath it.
As we stood there, a young man who was walking past stopped to talk to us. He introduced himself as James and told us his story. He was a security guard and, on that night, had left home to do his night shift. He returned in the morning to find his home buried, and with it his wife and young daughter. He still works in the area, the ugly scar a constant reminder of his terrible loss.
You could be forgiven for not remembering this tragedy. It did make the news in the UK, but only for a day or so.
On Thursdays, ASecludedPlace has a “topical” theme. It is, of course, easy to recall recent events. The earthquakes in Turkey and Syria are still very much in our minds, and rightly so. The War in Ukraine continues to dominate our news agenda. But once the news teams depart and the tragedies slip from wider public consciousness, it is harder for us to keep them in our minds. As I write this, the BBC has just reported the deaths of 59 migrants off the coast of southern Italy. A tragedy, but do you remember when 27 migrants died in a similar way in the English Channel in November 2021?
And, of course, sometimes the individual stories of human suffering get lost in the statistics. That is why the news media, and charities doing fundraising appeals, tell the stories of individuals and families affected by conflict and natural disaster as well as simply reporting the numbers. One thousand, one hundred and forty-one deaths is a statistic which I may not remember; James is a man I will never forget.
Thankfully, although our memory is fallible and finite, God’s is not. As Jesus himself said:
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
Matthew 10, vv29-30
Let us pray :
Heavenly father,
We lift up our world to you today.
We acknowledge with humility that whilst we seek to care, we often fail to remember. Help us to remember, and in doing so, better care for our world.
We lift up to you all those suffering as a consequence of human conflict or natural disaster.
And we thank you that we are all, indeed, worth more than many sparrows to you.
Amen.
Philip Clarke
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