Are You Fasting?

Tom and teammates preparing certificates for a ceremony

Today’s blog comes to you about ten days into the month of fasting.  Yes, people count the days.  In fact, it’s pretty much on everyone’s mind all the time.  A few days ago I left my house for a total of 5 minutes to buy a big bottle of soda and was asked the question, “Are you fasting?” 4 times!  It almost becomes a new form of greeting.  “Hello! How are you? Are you fasting?” People we’ve known a long time to complete strangers on the street will ask us. Occasionally the the question is asked sincerely, but most of the time the questioner asks with a big proud smile on their face ready to make you feel inferior and/or ashamed with, “Oh, so you can’t do it!” 

We have literally spent hours thinking about how to respond to this ubiquitous (and sometimes annoying) question.  Partially because you have to say something.  Partially so that we don’t lose our cool when the 500th person tells us how pathetic we are.  But mostly because—as annoying as the question may be, it very well could be the door to a better conversation.  Will we let this opportunity pass or will we take advantage of it?  How do we take advantage of it?  This opens up a whole can of worms.

Our 7yr old son with newborn neighbor

The first question you might ask yourself if you were in our situation is, “Should we fast with our neighbors?”  Different people take different approaches.  Some do it. Some don’t.  Some do it and don’t tell anyone.  Some only fast when they’re invited to break the fast with islanders.  The real question is whether there is a good reason to be found for doing one or the other.

What we’ve eventually figured out is that “are you fasting?” is a bad question—saying yes, ends conversation.  Saying no gets ridicule.  So what else can we say?  How can we reroute it? Here are some answers that we’ve found that are successful:

“Yes I fast, but not like you.  It’s different.”   This answer can lead to a discussion of fasting.  Why do people fast?  How do different cultures fast?  Is fasting important? and why?  It’s a good conversation starter and can really get people thinking about what fasting is all about.

“Do you think I’m of the same religion as you?”  This often catches them off their guard.  Their responses are varied: “Yes, I did.” or “Aren’t you?” or “I know you’re not.”  At the very least we get to explain that we are different.  This answer can be good for a short reply but can also develop into something deeper, which is nice.

“Are you fasting?  Oh, so why do you fast?”  Answering the question with a question—it’s a great way to turn it back on them.  It usually gets us quickly to where their heart is at, and can often be a great bridge into explaining our foundational differences rather than just our varied fasting techniques.

“Depends, are you inviting me to eat with you?”  This often gets a laugh.  We’re yet to have it result in an actual invitation.  (During the month of fasting the nightly routine of breaking the fast can become something of a feast.  Paradoxically, people are known to gain weight during this fasting month.)

We have other responses too which provide varying reactions from islanders, but they main point is that we’re trying to be thoughtful about it and keep a good attitude…even when someone yells from a passing taxi, “Are you fasting?  You can’t do it, can you?”

Celebrating teammate's birthday

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We’ve had some chances to have some good conversations so far— we keep hoping for more! Our kids made it through their local school exams in French without noticeable trauma! Thanks for praying. We’ll probably find out this coming week how they did. We were able to celebrate the birthday of one of our teammates! We are very thankful for her and how she blesses our team with her grace, wisdom and hard-working spirit. The long-standing teachers’ strike on the island is finally over today (after almost 3 months)— we don’t know the details but we pray that this will result in better education for all islanders.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
The team that was supposed to start next year on the other side of Clove Island has been put on hold. Pray that new team leaders could be found so that we can see the work expand here! There are several people who have shown interest in working on the islands in the near future— pray that we would have wisdom as we dialogue with our leaders and these people and discern who should be joining our team. Continue to pray with us through the month of fasting— it’s not too late to email us and ask for the daily prayer guide.