Clean Up Day

Sometimes I tear my hair out because it seems to me that little is being done to improve the childrens' hostels that I work at. Things go slow around here, I have to remind myself.

But there is some small things happening. They are big for here. The other day, we did a clean-up day at the hostels. The whole day was to be spent cleaning. When I arrived at the girls' hostel, however, this was their version of cleaning.


Braiding hair.

So I encouraged and urged and prodded till they got out the brooms and swept. Well, it was okay in the end because the girls keep their rooms very clean to begin with.

However the boys' hostel is a different case, and I heard later (I did not go there that day) that the boys did a great job and cleaned the place. Well, okay, then. It's clean for one day.

Not really, the boys' houseparent told me. Now that they cleaned the place and have brooms, they are sweeping everyday. Wow! Praise the Lord! At least they are learning to clean. And that's progress.

A Special Need

I am a missionary to children and children's workers. My office is right across the street from my house and I spend most of my time there during the day, focusing on both academic and spiritual education of the children in my neighborhood and at the children's hostels. That is my world. But sometimes I get so focused on my own little world that I forget the powerful ministry right down the street from me.



On the same street that I live and work on is a Christian eye hospital. Because it is a specialized hospital, it draws people from far and wide. Eye problems are common here. Lack of nutrition, proper medical care, hygiene, and the fact that this is a very dirty and dust ridden environment all contribute to eye injuries, diseases, and permanent damage. People come to the eye hospital hoping to save or restore their eyesight, hoping for a miracle. The eye hospital is a busy place.



But it isn't just an eye hospital. It is a mission field. Because it is a Christian hospital, the chaplain can openly visit and pray with patients, sharing the gospel freely. Many people come empty and needy, not just physically but spiritually as well. They not only discover physical healing at the hospital, but they hear about a savior, the Savior, Jesus Christ. What a wonderful hope!



The eye hospital is a beacon of hope for so many hopeless people. And there are many who come. However, there are not enough doctors at the hospital for all those patients. The small team of ophthalmologists who perform the complicated procedures are so few that they work from morning to night with little rest. One of these doctors is moving on to another job at the end of this year, leaving the hospital in great need of another ophthalmologist. Not just an ophthalmologist, but a missionary ophthalmologist who has a vision for reaching the lost through medical work. The hospital is trying to improve its facilities and procedures, and a missionary doctor is urgently needed to help them with this task.

I know I am being extremely optimistic in hoping that an ophthalmologist who is looking at going into missions (or someone who knows a person who fits this description) is reading this post. But I feel that the Lord led me to write it. If you are interested in knowing more about this, click here. But I know that many of you can pray along with me that a doctor will be provided for this position.

Amazingly, we have been waiting for a missionary ophthalmologist for the eye hospital for many years! I was reminded of this need tonight as I was helping a visiting doctor unload medical supplies donated from the U.S. I think we have become discouraged in hoping that a missionary doctor will ever come. Please pray along with me that an ophthalmologist would be led to come to this busy mission field!

Don't Close the Door!

Tonight I came home at dinner time, dog tired with no idea what to fix for dinner... as usual.
I had alot of things to do and immediately started multitasking and worrying about all the things that need to be done but aren't... as usual.
I left the screen door open even though it was getting dark... not as usual.

Then a knock came and a voice called through the screen. I was annoyed. "What a terrible time to have a visitor, right as I'm fixing dinner and trying to do a hundred other things, and it's dark and there's no electricity. Terrible timing." I get so fixated on my own agendas. And then there are God's agendas.

It was a girl, a little younger than myself, who I've only met twice. Coming by and randomly greeting at almost any hour is a big thing here, so I thought (with annoyance) that is why she came. She sat down and I asked how university was and this and that and she smiled... and her eyes filled up with tears. It's not too often I get a random guest at night who bursts into tears. With death being so prevalent here, I was sure someone had died.

But it wasn't that at all. She wanted to talk about a relationship with a guy that had gone bad. She had done all the right things, been pure and honest in her relationship with him, and he had been dishonest and undependable. And she was grieving. She is one of those rare gems will overflows with compassion for everyone, who wants to see the best in everyone. She apologized for coming so randomly and crying...

Then I began to cry, too. I needed a friend just as much as she needed one. It's hard always talking about the struggles of being single to people who are married. And we were able to share with one another. There's no big solutions, mostly laughter and tears and the encouragement to lift your head and howl for a bit, then move on! We were encouraged by one another.

In this culture it is especially difficult to be single because a woman's identity is based on her husband and children. Even the name she is called reflects that. Being single here means you don't have much identity, you are still a child, and you are hounded daily to get married. It's not easy.

And then there are friends who feel just the same as you do about being single. We lift each other up in prayer and laugh and cry and live in this strange, challenging time of life that sometimes feels like we are slogging through the mud and being pulled down by the culture we live in. And that's why God brings us together as friends- to pull each other through the mud, to keep each other from being sucked under. I'm so glad I didn't close the door tonight!

Friday Night at the Movies

There's very little entertainment to be found around here. Usually the most excited thing that happens is when a water pipe falls apart and you have to call the plumber and insist that it is URGENT! COME NOW!

So us missionaries have to make our own entertainment. We've recently come up with a solution to our lack of entertainment- Friday night at the movies. No, not at a cinema. We hang a sheet on the wall of one of the missionary family's houses and set up a projector. Our concession stand consists of homemade snacks and sometimes-cold drinks (when we have electricity to get them cold!). Our movie selection is limited, so it usually takes some effort to find something we will all enjoy. Whatever we watch, we always have a great time laughing together. But seriously, I would take our “homemade cinema” over the real thing. It's always better from scratch, eh?

At the End of the Day

I've been tired lately. The good tired, when you've worked a lot. Maybe too much. However, it's great to come home and retreat to my back yard in the evening.


Come outside and play!


The flourishing squash plants.


Vine squash


Kept out of the garden for good reason (destruction is their specialty!)


Playing ball


Precious is an expert when it comes to sliding in the dirt.


Let's be done now.


Getting a peak at the new puppy next door.


Life is all business for Angel as she guards the back gate.


The African alternative to dumpster diving: "trash pit diving"! Precious finds something deliciously rotten in a bag.


And so ends another evening of fun.


And a kiss goodnight!

Lunga-lunga

The little girls in my neighborhood like to play a game they call “Lunga-lunga”, which is a more complex version of hopscotch. Since it is rainy season now, they can draw the lines in the wet ground better than in dry season.



There's usually at least two “Lunga-lunga” games drawn out on the path to my house.



I couldn't quite get the rules down as I watched them play, but they were sure having fun.

Be Ready, For the Electricity Cometh!

In the last month, we have had a shortage of electricity... much more than usual. It used to be that we had 6 hours of electricity a day. We were really living it up in those days. All that lovely electricity! Things would actually start to freeze in the freezer (imagine that!). I could wash and iron my clothes and know that there was going to be electricity during part of the day to do those jobs. Then came the hot season with temperatures soaring over 100 F, causing the fridge and freezer to get warmer. And then we started getting less and less electricity, and after a night of no power, the fridge would stink like a garbage dump. For the last month, our precious 6 hours a day of electricity has been diminished to 2... or less. This last week we had two days with no electricity. And when it is hot outside, 2 hours of power does almost as much good as none for keeping things cold in the fridge.

So, when my bread and cheese started to mold inside the freezer, I decided to run the generator a little more often! But there are a few things around the compound that I need real electricity for, such as getting water pumped from my bore hole and pumping water for the gardener who is taking care of a neighbor's yard. This a generator will not do. So I find myself scurrying around the house, taking care of everything that doesn't need electricity so that, when it does come, I'll be ready! Once the power comes on, I can dash out of the house and flip on the pump at the neighbor's house. I think my days are scheduled around the electricity now!

Doesn't it remind you, in a funny way, of how we should be vigilant for Christ's return, always keeping in mind that He could come at any moment? Fortunately, in my “electricity-run” existence, I know that if I miss doing jobs today that require power, it will probably come on tomorrow or the next day. I won't have missed it permanently. But with Christ's coming... every person who I didn't share Christ with, everything I didn't do... that will be lost forever.