Fasting Month Moments

I think for many people who have not experienced it, it is a bit hard to grasp how different life is during the month of fasting.  Truth be told, in many ways it doesn't seem that different.  People still mill about the street.  Shops are still open (excepting restaurants) and life appears to be going on as normal.  But the fasting undergirds everything and manifests its differences in many ways.  Last week we shared with you about the constant barrage of questions we get.  This week we thought we'd share some of the other ways life is different.

Two of the regular visitors to our porch

• The mob of colorfully clad shoppers fills the narrow streets like a river of confetti.  It's midmorning and we're doing some shopping, but it's the fasting month.  Much like the Christmas season in the states, the fasting month turns over a lot of commerce.  The holiday at the end of the month is a time for new clothes, sprucing up the house, gifts to loved ones--you name it.  So the shops are busy, the sales are on, and everyone wants to get in on it.  Moving through this sea of human traffic can be slow going, but it's also exciting.  So much activity...where do they find the energy?

• Where did all these children come from?  It's early afternoon and suddenly our veranda is crawling with kids.  We get some neighbor kids to play on our porch but this crowd is not a normal occurrence.  As we re-instate order we recall, "Ah yes, It's the fasting month." Imagine that you haven't been able to eat or drink anything for the entire day.  Early afternoon rolls around.  It's hot, you're tired, and you barely have energy to start thinking about the big dinner you need to cook this evening.  Meanwhile your kids are out of school, full of energy (because they're not fasting) and are quickly driving you insane.  Now imagine every mother and father in the neighborhood doing the same.  Unsupervised and noisy, like packs of wild dogs, they roam the streets, looking for some place to play.

• The sun drops down behind the ocean horizon.  A call blares out from the loud speakers perched on a pole high above the neighborhood.  There is a flurry of activity for a couple of minutes.  Cars race to their homes, men rush off to pray, dishes clank as they are brought out, doors are shut and people begin to eat.  A silence falls over the city like no other time.  The streets are completely empty.  Not a car goes by, not a pedestrian is seen.  For a blessed thirty minutes or so, the world is at peace as families eat together.  For many, it is the only time they do so during the whole year.  And then, stomachs full, people step out on their verandas, children go off to play, the taxis return to the streets. 
  

  

  Kids shelling some beans that were gifted to us

• "Can anyone tell me the answer?"  I look out on a room of drooping eyes and slack faces.  It's 8:30pm and my students are tired.  After fasting all day and then eating a big meal, their bodies wish only to digest in peace.  Instead they have to listen to a guy trying to train them to be English teachers.  It's the same every year.  Why do I agree to teach during the month of fasting?  Students who have much to offer and are usually full of energy look drowsily up from their books.  Someone slowly raises a hand to answer.  I promise myself, "Never again." But next year will probably roll around and I'll forget and an administrator will suggest it as a great idea, and it will happen all over again.

• What a sound!  At bad moments it can sound like a cat fight being broadcast by loud speaker.  It's getting late into the night and the children are showing off their prowess at chanting their holy book in as loud and shrill voices as possible in a cacophonous choir. This is then shared with the whole neighborhood via the speakers on the pole.  It will go on for an hour or so nearly every night of the month.  The hard work of religious school, where children are often whipped for failure to chant correctly, can now be proclaimed to the masses in what is probably considered a blessing to all who hear.

As you imagine experiencing this day in the island life, imagine also the heart behind it.  For many it's nothing more than an annoying obligation.  They don't like fasting, but everybody else is doing it, and the religion says they have to.  For others it is a chance--an opportunity to make up for things done wrong, and to wash away the previous year’s sins.  For others it's a chance to revel in religiosity - to wear their fine clothes and remind others of their holy fervor.  For still others they are searching; hoping to have their prayers answered; hoping for a change to their circumstances; hoping to see the face of God. 

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Our son woke up crying in pain that he couldn’t get out of bed because of a pain at his hip— with a couple days of prayer he is doing better. We’re thinking it may have been a strained muscle, but we are thankful that he is walking/playing normally again. We were able to get some tables made, buy chairs and move into our new office. We were pleasantly surprised that the landlady cleaned and painted in honor of us moving in! The language project is very happy to finally have an official place to work. 


PRAYERS REQUESTED
We’re just over half-way through the month of fasting. Please keep praying for the islands during this special month— if you want the daily prayer guide then just send us an email. We are trying to work on a few projects during this month (there have been some computer issues and the month is already half way over!)— pray that we’d be able to make good progress and complete our goals for the month.