The Ups and Downs of the Month of Fasting

Less School- meant puzzle time!

Today is the thirteenth day in the Month of Fasting.  We are nearing the halfway point.  For those who have never experienced this month in a location like ours it is hard to comprehend the great change that overtakes the country and its people during this month.  The rhythms, expectations, needs and even speech patterns change during this month.  It effects nearly everything.  The days feel very different.

The first weeks are the hardest.  People’s bodies need to adjust to the daily fast.  Remember for their fast to “count” it must be a fast from all food and drink from sunup to sundown.  Bodies take time to adjust, and so the first days, most people are tired, suffering from headaches, or feeling groggy and hazy.  Life cycles start to adjust to a new normal.  Eating begins at sundown and continues into the night.  Some even wake up at 3 or 4am to eat again.  Many, to ensure they are getting enough to drink, wake up before dawn to drink a few liters of water.  Of course, later nights and late night eating and drinking all lead to late night bathroom visits.  The end result is less sleep, and often a slower, sleepy start to the morning.  But by 9am things are bustling and life is going on as normal but then by early afternoon, most have run out of steam.  Shops close, people go home to rest and women start cooking for the evening meal.  Kids still go to school but their classes all end by 12:00.  Our children now have a strange one-day-on, one-day-off week that includes Saturday so that no students or teachers have to have class in the afternoon. Try teaching an afternoon class during this schedule—trust me, it doesn’t work.  We don’t even attempt to teach at all during this month anymore. 

Lunchtime in the hallway

You may be wondering what else happens to our lives during this month.  Usually we don’t choose to fast as islanders do.  Different foreigners do different things each year, but this year we eat breakfast early, with our doors closed (but not before dawn).  We feed the children on a mat in the hallway for lunch while we skip lunch.  We keep a bottle of water in the bathroom for drinking.  And then we eat dinner at sundown like everybody else.  The idea is to respect those who are fasting while at the same time showing that we are not bound by the same legalism.  Skipping lunch gives us a sense of islanders’ plight and keeps our hearts sharpened to the spiritual aspects of this month.  We do like joining islanders to break the fast when we are invited (and on those days we will often fast with them as a sign of camaraderie)!  Generally life feels quieter and the days slower. We’re not teaching normal classes so we take the opportunity to catch up on other types of work and projects.

Old photo: all in traditional clothes except one

So that is how the changes in eating/cooking effect life, but this month isn’t just about fasting, it is also considered the most important religious month of the year.  For many islanders, it doesn’t matter what you do the rest of the year as long as this month, you show yourself faithful.  For those of greater religious leaning, it is a month to outdo others in personal holiness and impress others with your religious knowledge.  Attendance at the local places of worship goes way up this month.  There are special prayers that are sometimes transmitted over the loud speakers at night for everyone’s benefit.  Anything you can do to show that you are religious is encouraged.  People turn off their music and listen to sermons or recitations.  Soap operas and football matches are often replaced with religious programming.  Women cover their heads and everyone is dressed more nicely, traditionally and conservatively.  Now is the time to tell everybody what you should and shouldn’t do.  Now is the time to be reading or listening to your holy book at every free moment.

With everybody getting so religious this month, we can feel both put upon and excited.  We get asked LOTS of questions  this month which means lots of opportunities to share.  This is wonderful.  But at the same time, many people, feeling proud of how religious they are acting, want to use this opportunity to shame us, insult us or put us down.  We try not to let these things get to us, but some days it can be trying.  We focus on the fact that across the islands during this month people are thinking more about God and within all the religiosity we know there are those who are truly searching Him.  May they find Him.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
The earthquakes continue but we are thankful that there has not been an increase in intensity. The new family (with another group) has arrived and appears to be settling in well. Our kids are in their last week of homeschool for the year— we are thankful for the ways that they are learning and growing.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Tom and our teammates are all on their way to a neighboring nation to attend the wedding of our colleague from the small island and our former short-termer. Pray for smooth travels, for a happy wedding and for a good start to a strong marriage. Pray especially as the bride’s grandmother just died and her family is having to handle the grief and funeral just days before the wedding. Pray for Megan and kids as they are alone on Clove Island. Continue to pray for the month of fasting, for open hearts and opportunities to shine light in the darkness. There continues to be rumors and feelings of political unrest. We don’t expect anything to happen during the month of fasting but pray for the islands— for good leaders and a stable government.