In 1941, the world was undergoing a tumultuous period of violence, suffering, and war. All Jews under German rule were required to wear the yellow Star of David badge and forbidden to live with or marry non-Jews or leave their towns without written consent. For Jews, it was a death sentence. For fear of Hitler, neutral countries refused to grant Jews a place of refuge. People could only cry to God for help.

It was in September of 1941 that God sent Dr. James W. Wallace to love, heal and care for his children scattered on the Earth. Wallace had a great career as an outstanding physician, but it was his loving and caring heart that made an indelible impact on the world.

We at YOUNG-Africa honor and celebrate his life. Wallace, who lived in Massachusetts, passed away peacefully at his home on Thursday, August 20, 2015. He was 73 years old. A man of great wisdom and varied interests, he loved his late wife and high school sweetheart Linda, and his two sons Jamey and Joshua.

Wallace was an accomplished angler, sports car enthusiast and lover of all things of beauty and charm. He loved great company, robust conversation, and a good laugh. An evening of dinner with Wallace would typically be accompanied by food and wine and spiked with fabulous stories from around the globe.

He attended the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey and was awarded a freshman scholarship at Harvard College, where he completed his undergraduate studies in two years. Wallace later earned his medical degrees at Dartmouth and Harvard. A fifth generation physician, he completed his radiology residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital and practiced medicine for over 30 years in the Boston area.

My connection with Dr. Wallace was unlikely. A native of Tappita, a remote village in rural Liberia without electricity, potable water or television, I fled a brutal war and have lived in Boston for the past 25 years.

My birthplace of Tappita and my adopted home of Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood are unlikely places for Wallace to ‘hang-out’ and so our paths never crossed during his journey on Earth. Aside from a phone call I made to express my gratitude for his donation towards Ebola relief, I never personally met Wallace. However, we became partners in progress because of our mutual interest in serving humanity.

It is because of this common interest that I felt compelled to pay tribute to Wallace. My tribute is on behalf of citizens of the war and Ebola-ravaged West African countries of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone and also the over 8,000 West Africans granted temporary protection, who were stranded in America in 2014 because of the Ebola epidemic.

The Ebola epidemic infected over 28,000 and killed 11,000 people including 513 health workers in West Africa, far from where Wallace lived. A Washington Post article described Liberia’s poor health delivery system prior to Ebola by quoting a Liberian official. “Liberia’s ambassador to the United States said the country has closer to 50 doctors—or one for every 90,000 citizens, not counting foreign physicians.”

For most Americans, problems such as the Ebola epidemic or the current migrant and refugee crises in Europe are too far away and too big to earn their attention or involvement. Wallace, on the other hand, was not bound by distance, culture, race or religion when his fellow human beings were in trouble, no matter where they lived or who they were.

He was one of three donors who responded to our plea to support preventive community efforts in West Africa and temporary protection for stranded West African families in America. Today, Liberia is Ebola-free, and 8,000 West Africans are no longer stranded in America – thanks to people like Wallace, who cared enough to act.

Wallace’s actions were influenced by the divine power of love. This love overcame barriers of oceans, transcended culture and race, and conquered impassable terrains out of reach of modern technologies. With love, he touched and healed many during his time on earth. He ignited a spark of hope that glows forever – long after he has gone to Heaven.

Today, as we remember Wallace, our world is still tumultuous, sinking in the sea of misery, violence and war – just as it was when he was born. Who on Earth has the power to walk on these troubled waters, to become peacemakers, and to do humanly impossible and miraculous things? Yes, God is able to work wonders but God only uses human agents like Wallace to perform miracles and sustain life on this planet.

In America we take so much for granted but the reality for Ebola orphans and the refugees of our time, like refugees of 1941 are still unthinkable. Brutal rape, ghastly beheading, and unspeakable violence are forcing refugees to abandon their homelands and take to the high seas, knowing their risky journey may lead to death and not Europe’s shores. Even so, refugees are still marching on – some to their death – others into detention camps. Meanwhile, we watch as seas of refugees overwhelmed European frontiers and fear of refugees soar ratings for American politicians.

Who knows what God will do? Yes, God still uses the hands, feet, smiles and resources of his agents to love, heal and perform miracles on Earth. Like Wallace, you too can surrender the little bit you have, and with it, God will perform miracles! Yes, everyone can do something for people we don’t know and who we may never see because, as humans, we are from one family. Wallace was a man sent by God to heal, love and touch humanity in ways that technology cannot. He was an answer to the prayers of people he never met and didn’t know. He has taught us to follow his example.