I Have Finished the Race. I Have Kept the Faith!

by admin · Published July 20, 2022 · Updated September 30, 2022

*Salimo and I in 2003 when we first met in Zambia.*
*Since then, we worked closely in five different Bible translation projects.*

Today I received the news that a dear friend, Salimo Hachibamba, has passed on into glory. I first met him in 2003 on my initial trip to Zambia. At that time, he was working on the translation of the Bible into his own language, Tonga. He was 58 years old. I was 44.

He gave me some good advice. He had been working in Bible translation since 1972 and had visited countries around the world including the USA many times. Little did I know then that one day he would work with us in Partners in Bible Translation.

Salimo did not hesitate to go to difficult and remote areas to reach people with the Word of God. On one trip he had to travel in this dugout canoe in areas inhabited by hippopotamuses.

There was no network connection in one area so Salimo climbed up on a termite mound to see if he could connect through his cell phone.

We always enjoyed hearing his wisdom and advice.

Occasionally he stayed in our home and it was always a blessing to listen to his stories and hear his laugh.

Much time has passed since we first met nearly 20 years ago. Life has had its ups and downs for both of us. When I returned to Zambia last year, I was surprised to see how much pain he was in. At age 76, he could hardly walk.

He used to enjoy walking long distances. But now I could see that he could only take short steps, using a stick to balance himself. Every step was painful. So, we made several trips to the hospital. The diagnosis was that it was possibly prostate cancer, and it was also attacking his hip. Medicine could help ease the pain, but Salimo declined to have surgery.

*Born July 5^th, 1945, with Jesus July 18, 2022.*
*He was a student of the Word of God and helped others obtain it in their language.*

You Can Finish Your Race

We can keep the faith and finish the race that God has for us despite what pains we experience. In the book of Philippians chapter four, Paul wrote:

I can do all things through him who gives me strength.

Read the surrounding verses and you can see that Paul was not talking about some great athletic achievement or winning some worldly praise for an accomplishment. Instead, the Apostle was talking about trusting God even in the midst of loss. Paul was in prison and his freedom was taken from him. But God gave him the strength to endure this hardship.

The power of God enables us to trust Him especially when it seems that all is failing around us. Despite the pain, Salimo worked at what God had called him to do until the very end.

These same words, “that you can do all things through Christ” apply to you: