Thinking of you during our Hot African Christmas, but enjoying ALL aspects of God's creation this year. May your New Year bring adventures & Joy!
- Merry Christmas from all of us -
- Merry Christmas from all of us -
Thinking of you during our Hot African Christmas, but enjoying ALL aspects of God's creation this year. May your New Year bring adventures & Joy!
- Merry Christmas from all of us -
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This past Monday we delivered 150 bed mats to the inmates at Chikwawa prison. Some folks may wonder if I have been overstating the heat so I figured I would provide some proof. Here is the weather reading just before we entered the prison at 10:38am. You will notice we were wise and choose the cool day of the week!!! And oh ya, I found another mzungu to join me (I tried to leave him behind).
handing out blankets and bed mats at Mwanza prison Have you ever started your day with a master plan, only to see that plan, by day's end, go in a very different direction? Of course you have...we have all been there. Well, I had one of those days recently. The arrangement was to leave Blantyre at 8:30am in order to deliver 100 bed mats and 70 blankets to inmates at Mwanza prison about 1 1/2 hrs away. (This Christmas we are helping to facilitate a program by International Ministries of the Presbyterian Church in Canada with the purchase of bed mats, blankets and soap: basic necessities for 7 prisons in the southern part of Blantyre...interested in how you can help? Check out our last blog post!). The *plan* was to leave Blantyre at 8:30am and be back by 3pm --- a very reasonable expectation - or so I thought. Around 10:30 am, things took a bit of a twist. We heard a loud noise coming from the engine so the driver (not me) quickly shut off the truck and coasted to the side of the road. We popped the hood and then they all looked at me, which, if you know me, is hilarious, because I know about as much about how to fix a car as I know about Astro Physics - zilch! Luckily for us, there was a mechanic nearby, who quickly told us it was the timing belt. (For the record, my guess would have been the radiator???!) So I, along with a journalist who had joined us to cover the distribution, waved down the next mini bus: a 15 seater van, to buy a new timing belt in Mwanza. The mini bus driver saw that we were broken down in desperate need on a boiling hot day and I thought he was going to take pity on us, but actually no, it was the opposite! He was a real capitalist, and charged us double the going rate! We piled in and joined the 18 others, 12 chickens and lots of 'katundu' (chichewa for 'stuff'). And did I mention that it was around 93 degrees.... nice and sweaty!!! People were, of course, fascinated with the 'mzungu' (white guy) and wanted to know why I was on a mini bus going to Mwanza. I briefly shared our situation, and 'the conductor' (the guy who shouts at people on the side of the road to see if they want a ride and then collects the money) after hearing our story shrugged his shoulders and simply stated 'Life goes on..' Words that I did not find very encouraging at the time. We finally reached Mwanza, were able to purchase the timing belt, and jump back on the same mini bus to go back to our vehicle stranded on the side of the road. While the mechanic worked on the pickup truck, we hired another truck to carry our katundu to the prison so that it could be delivered. After we had finished, we jumped back in the same truck to return to our broken down pickup to see if there was any progress. By the scene when we arrived, I knew my answer. I believe more of the engine was on the road then in the vehicle. There were parts everywhere! We were not going anywhere soon. "Life goes on..." I told myself. We figured that not everyone had to stay behind so two of us decided to head back home. We flagged a vehicle going by who's driver kindly stopped to pick us up but, oh ya, one small detail, it was an ambulance - but no patient! We started off, but I noticed that not all was right with the ambulance. Only 2nd and 5th gear worked, resulting in our speed being either 40 or 120km, depending on if there was a hill or not. But all was good... oops, again, not quite! We blew a tire and, guess what, no spare. So out we got. "Life goes on...!" We boarded another mini bus, this time with a total of 22 (remember - 15 seater) people, lots of 'katundu' and don't forget the birds, not chickens this time, but 5 quail. We finally got back to Blantyre where we had to board one more mini bus to take us home. Arrival time... 7:35pm. We slightly missed our mark. In total, it was quite the experience, 3 pickup trucks, 4 mini buses and 1 ambulance . In it all, what struck me was the comment from 'my friend' on the mini bus. 'Life goes on'. Often times, we have no control over our circumstances, but what we do control is our attitude and how we can respond to the twists and turns of life. The verse in the Bible that came to mind was 'give thanks in all circumstances'. Was I thankful every moment of this day??? Heck no! But I was reminded of all that I had to be thankful for and the importance of cultivating an attitude of gratitude by seeing the bigger picture. Sure, the day took a bit longer than I would have anticipated, but the' katundu' was delivered, we all got home safely, and I had one heck of a journey! (great sermon material) notice I'm not in the picture! for good reason, nothing I can really offer.
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