Post Office Friends

I just get a kick out of the box on the far right labeled
"ELSEWHERE"

Today, I tried to buy some postage stamps.  I went up to the window where I always go to pick up packages that don’t fit in our post office box.  There were two customers at the counter and no postal worker in sight.  I stood behind one customer thinking I would stand in line.  To be polite and give personal space, I stood back a little.  In time, a worker appeared with what customer #1 (C1) needed and went on to help another customer (C4) who had walked up to the counter ahead of C2 and me (C3).  Hmmm…did he not notice the rest of us?  Or is there some unwritten way of doing things that I don’t know about?

Another customer (C5) came in and got service along with C2 who had edged over, but I still stood in “line”.  I could see that I could be standing there until closing if I kept up my behavior, so I decided to step up to the counter in hopes of getting service.  Yet another person, C6 got his stamps and left, all while I stood almost directly in front of the postal worker. 

The stamps I bought...
it takes 5 of 'em to send a post card!

So, with money visibly in hand, just before he was finished with C7, I held up my postcard and asked “how much to send a post card to America?”  Finally, I got an answer, paid for my stamps and took what I paid for.  Next, I stretched my luck and asked for “Air Mail” stickers.  He had none, so directed me to the second clerk who had just appeared from the back.  I was greeted by a familiar warm smile and was given ample air mail stickers.

Now, you need to know who gave me this “familiar warm smile”.  Rewind with me to just after New Year’s Day.  We had been receiving quite a few packages with Christmas and all, so visited the parcel pickup window often.  The same man and woman were always at the window as today when I bought stamps, but the woman always looked a bit grumpy as she plopped our packages on the counter and demanded a signature.  I wanted to break past the grumpy demeanor of this woman, but didn’t know how to, beyond sweetly smiling and eagerly submitting to her requests.  But, after the new year, I had something to talk about!  So, after greeting her in Chichewa and answering the usual greeting questions (How did you wake up?  How are the children? How is the baby?), I continued in English with “Happy New Year!”  Her face melted into a joyful smile and she said it was good, then asked how mine was.  I asked “Did you sing and dance all night until the sun came up?” to which she beamed “Yes!”…ever since that little personal interaction, she is no longer grumpy with me.  

A beautiful flower that bloomed in our yard this week. 
It surprised me with beauty where I didn't expect it.
May we be the same to others!

This story really could have happened anywhere, right?  Are there any grumpy people you encounter on a routine basis?  How can you spring some light into their lives?  It’s not giving them a tract explaining sin and salvation…it’s not inviting them to a Bible study…it’s not trying to get them into a church building…it’s just being the Light of Christ without any labels or pressure.  

But wait, how can you be the "Light of Christ" without talking about Christ?  It all goes back to that nifty quote usually attributed to Francis of Assisi: "Preach the Gospel, if necessary, use words."  Who knows?  Maybe someday they’ll ask you about it.  Maybe not.  If the opportunity does surface to tell them about Jesus, they'll be more likely to listen to you.  But in the mean time, you can serve as a reflection of Christ's Light in their lives.

Hoping for Water

drip

drip

drip

drip        drip                        drip

                drip        drip                                        drip        drip

drip        drip        pitter patter       drip

Pitter patter       pitter patter       pitter patter

ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRR*Splash*Gush*ROOOOOOOAAARRRRRR

ROOOOAAAARRRRRRRRRR*SSSSSHHHHHHHHH*Gush*ROOOOOOOAAARRRRRRRR

This is the onset of a rainstorm during rainy season.  Sometimes, it just stops after the pitter patter, but we LOVE it when it continues on to the ROAR stage and doesn’t let up for a while.  It’s kinda like the feeling you get in the states when a snow storm starts up quickly.  Everyone stops what they are doing and just stares out the window in wonder of God’s power in creation.  (well, some are also worried about travel conditions and how much their back will hurt after shoveling, but let’s dwell on the positive, shall we?)

water harvesting!

There’s another part of this story, though.  Since, ironically, we’ve had a water shortage lately, the pitter patter triggers a little game.  It’s called “quick, get as many buckets or containers as you can find and put them in the gutter!”  And on days like today, when the storm has already achieved the ROAR stage before we get them all out, it results in at least one of us getting drenched.  It is one thing to position the containers in the gutter quickly, but another thing to position them optimally at the direction of the (dry) spouse on the porch.  I (Becky) am often the wet one, but I eagerly jump in it.  It feels like a relay race at summer camp or Olympic day in elementary school.  These are good memories, and I’m making some more good memories in the process of harvesting water!

By this point, you may be wondering a few things:

1. Why would there be a water shortage during rainy season? 
2.  How does one position containers in a gutter (aren’t they on the roof?) 
3.  What does one do during a water shortage? 
4.  Can you get TOO MUCH water? (news/prayer update)

Read on to find the answers (pictures and videos will help!)

Why would there be a water shortage during rainy season?

Well, there is always a possibility of water shortage in both the dry and rainy seasons.  Beyond that, we really don't know.  From what we can tell, a lot of it has to do with infrastructure.  In other words, the way we get our water through the water authority isn’t perfect. Today (day 11 of outage) the water authority has acknowledged that there is a problem and that it may be another 2-3 weeks before it is solved.  Plus, the water supply we are connected to comes from downhill, so a number of things can go wrong there.  However, there is a tap on campus supplied from uphill which rarely runs out, so there is at least a place to go to get water, but even that has been affected, less severely, by the same problem this week.

How does one position containers in a gutter (aren’t they on the roof?)

Here’s a little video (3 minutes) explaining our gutter system and some footage of a recent rain storm.  We had a lot of fun making it!  :o)

God's beauty in Malawi - all green during rainy season!

 In case you can’t see the video, I’ll give the explanation in a nutshell.  Our gutters are not on the edge of the roof as they are in the states.  They are on the ground.  The water comes so fast, it would easily overwhelm a traditional gutter system.  So, as it pours off the roof (usually corrugated metal), it is caught by a 2-3 foot across concrete channel that lines the house and runs away from the house down the hill to a huge drain.  The live demonstration of this system is impressive!

What does one do during a water shortage?

We have been without running water for 11 days*, now.  There are a few hours here and there that we discover water in the pipes and try to catch as much as possible. This means that when we turn on the faucet, our expectation of water has changed to hope of water.  We no longer expect there to be water flowing when we turn the handle to wash our hands.  Instead, we hope, with baited breath, that there is water.   But there is none.  This has become the new normal.

catching rain water during our (almost) daily rainstorms

But, how do you get by for 11 days without water?  We try to be prepared for water outages by storing water in jerry cans in the garage and filtered water in other jugs in the pantry.  The jerry cans last between two and three days for things like flushing toilets and washing dishes.  When the reserve is used up, we are thankful that there is a tap on campus where we (and all the students and other campus residents) can go to get water.  This tap rarely runs out because that water comes from a different source.  However, this means that after you fill a container with water, then you have to walk it back to your residence.  For us, this is about a quarter mile.  (Not too fun, but before you throw a pity party for us, our house helper has been the one who does most of the water carrying when we need it.  She is amazing, as most any Malawian woman is, at carrying water or anything else on her head.)

Can you get TOO MUCH water? (news/prayer update)
 

Many houses collapsed in the flash floods

There are parts of Malawi that have received too much water last week.  Several regions have been experiencing flash floods which have affected some Brethren in Christ households.  At present, we are aware of 20 households who have been displaced due to these floods.  Yesterday, some of our coworkers and BIC church leaders loaded our truck with supplies (maize flour, plastic sheets, etc.) and traveled to one of the affected areas.  They went to deliver supplies, encourage the families and get first-hand knowledge about the extent of the situation.  Please pray for the safety of these families and so many others who are struggling right now.

A major problem across the countryside during rainy season
is that bathroom structures fall over or collapse,
leaving dangerous and unsanitary conditions.

Bags of maize flour piled up to distribute to BIC families
affected by the floods in northeastern Malawi.

 

* In the process of writing this post, our water did come back...and is back out again.

Shedding Some Light

 Here they come!  It’s Epiphany and now the three wise men may enter the scene.  But do they come to the stable?  Notice, the stable is empty…where did Jesus go?!?!  Well, by the time the wise men visited Jesus, he and his parents had moved on and he was perhaps around the age of two (but I am no authority on the subject, he just wasn’t a baby anymore).   The wise men followed a God-given star to find and visit the Messiah and to give him gifts.  The theme continues to be light.  Epiphany has to do with disclosing, unveiling, to bring to light...in other words, shedding some light on the subject.   So, just as Advent/Christmas was the season we remembered Jesus coming as a baby, the season of Epiphany is when we remember the coming of the wise men and are taken into Jesus’ adult ministry with His baptism and first miracle.  Each of these stories is a part of Epiphany because it reveals Jesus’ true identity.  He is the Light in the darkness and isn't overcome by it.

Now, you may be asking yourself why I write so much on these “little” Christian holidays that you may not even hear about in your own church – and certainly not in the Hallmark card isle.  Well, we are told to dwell in God’s Word, the Bible, God’s story.  We are to “rehearse” it, go over it again and again.  In so doing we start seeing new things about it, going deeper, having epiphanies about who Jesus was, who He is and who He hopes to be in our lives.  Without this rehearsing and repetition, we are likely to forget!  Then we drift into our own understanding and misunderstandings of the world.  And the Light we are to reflect from Christ to the world dims.  I often feel dim.  So I go back to the Word and fan the flame to be more like it – a truer representation of God, my Father, my source, my guide.

Our Epiphany centerpiece

Yesterday I moved our Advent wreath off the table.  Today, I replaced it with an arrangement for Epiphany:

Candles – representing the light Jesus brought to the world

Three candles – representing the three gifts the wise men brought to Jesus.

Star shaped seed pods – representing the star that guided the wise men to visit Jesus.

Seed pod – These were on our Advent wreath too. They still represent God’s posture of love as He sends His only Son to earth to show us the extent of His love for us.  It is also the posture we can have to God, welcoming Him into our lives. 

A mirror – representing the way we are to be light to the world, reflecting Jesus’ light. (yes, this is a mirror from an L.L. Bean travel bag…you go with what you have!)

Tapestry – representing the wealth of the wise men and the Kingship of Christ (I wanted to find something purple, but ended up with white)

Why do I try to rehearse these things with my kids even though they are only 3 and 1 years old?  Because we are told to by God.  “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).   Now it’s true, this passage is referring specifically to the laws God gave his people, the Jews, but Jesus came to complete or fulfill the Law (see Matthew 5:17).  So now we look to what Jesus did and said by walking through the Christian year so we can remember it and align our lives to carry on the light Jesus revealed.  We talk about it in the common things like sitting down to a meal together and snuggling on the couch to read a story and look at pictures.  Then, out of that come questions as we walk down the street or get strapped into the truck for a drive to town.  These are all normal times that become special because of the Light that Jesus shines in when we invite and welcome Him in our everyday lives.  Today, by setting aside a few minutes to read a story (we’re talking “toddler minutes” here…nothing elaborate!) and making a simple centerpiece for the table we eat on, we provide opportunity for learning, questions and dialogue about things that are important to us.

Plus, through explaining what we believe to children, we gain a better understanding ourselves.  Kids ask straight questions about what they see and hear so that they can make honest sense of their world.  Sometimes, we lose that in adulthood.  It’s challenging, but rewarding (and sometimes embarrassing or humorous) to answer children’s questions, but often it is also participating in epiphany – shedding light on the subject for young and old alike.  Today’s questions included:

Why was Herod mean?

Why can Jesus turn water into wine?

What is a Christian?

Am I a Christian?

I am reminded of what so many missionary moms have told me:  “Your kids are your first mission field.”  Even though we have uprooted and moved to another continent to share God’s love, preach the Gospel and nourish the believers here, our children are those who are watching our every move and listening to our every word, learning about Christ through us much more than anyone on our street or in Jonathan’s classes is.  That is the humbling intensity of a parent’s job and a reflector of Christ. 

Rain

A few Sundays ago during church it began to rain.  Hard.  It happened just as the children's time finished up after which we take all the kids up the hill (yes, outside) to the nursery and Sunday School.

After I (Becky) returned to the service I had to move up about 7 rows (out of maybe 10?) in hopes of hearing anything the pastor was saying.  With a metal roof, windows always open,  a concrete structure and no amplification system, it was impossible to hear much.

It was prayer time. I tried to catch any line I could and think about it.  The one that stood out most to me was something about God being just.  I don't even know what the pastor was praying for specifically - that is all I heard for a few paragraphs, so I let it sink in.

Just that morning I had read Habakkuk.  Chapter 3, verses 17-19 came back to me as I thought of our God as a just God:

"Though the fig tree does not bud 
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
    and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.

The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
    he enables me to tread on the heights."

Even if nothing is going his way, Habakkuk vows to rejoice in the Lord and trust him to be his Savior. He says nothing about how he deserves these good things (in a just world).  He doesn't complain that he doesn't have what he should.  He simply rejoices in God.

Our first year of growing corn in our own garden!

Because rainy season has begun here, everyone is working to farm any land they have available to them with maize (corn).  This is the staple food item to grind into maize flour to make nsima for breakfast, lunch and dinner. As I look across the landscape, I see freshly prepared soil and small green plants popping up everywhere.  This will be sustenance for each family as well as potential income for those with larger plots of land.  But without rain, the maize crops will fail...and then what?  With the majority of the country unemployed, this means hunger if not worse. 

I can imagine more vividly now what it would mean to pray this prayer of Habakkuk chapter 3.  I can start to imagine the weight of having crops fail and no animals in the pen for those living solely off the land.  And I can try to imagine being in such a position and yet still rejoicing in my God without complaining.  And although I never want to find myself in such a position, that is the kind of heart I want to have.

MUD DAY...first of many!

When we were preparing to come to Malawi, our mentors, who spent 40 years in Zambia, fondly reminisced about their "Dirtiest Days" with their two kids.  We can see why.  We thought our kids got dirty during the dry season, but now that rainy season is here, we can go through 3 outfits per kid and 2 baths a day!  (We strive not to make that a typical day, mind you).

Although our kids would love every day to be that dirty, it's not fun for the parents to do that every day.  Hence, "Mud Day" at the Owen house:

• Let the kids get as dirty as they please
• Let the kids experiment with water and dirt
• Let loose as parents
• Have fun with them in the process

This video shows our very first Mud Day.  This was unscheduled...you can't always plan these things, sometimes they just happen!  Enjoy!