Whisperings

 There is a new dynamic on the islands that we haven’t quite seen before. There are whisperings...

For now, life continues normally.

Whispering secrets or gossip isn’t new. Islanders don’t always want other people to hear what they are saying. But now there are widespread whisperings. Friends take us away from the street and whisper news and warnings.

The content of the whisperings isn’t new. They tell us about unrest on the islands and that people aren’t going to stand for it. They talk about how the current president must go. A couple months ago these same sentiments were shared loudly at our house and in shops, but now people talk in whispers.

Why whispers? If these sentiments are widespread and the everyone knows that unrest is inevitable, why the secrecy? Partially it is because they think major unrest is close. January 2021 has always been earmarked as a month of trouble. This is the month where there were supposed to be presidential elections that would have ended with the current island president stepping down. But under a dubious vote in 2018, the constitution was changed to allow the current president to stay in power. So there is no campaigning, no elections, no new president.  

Rains help break up the heat!

In 2018 (after the changing of the constitution), we woke up one morning to a day of protest that led to a week of us closed up in our house listening to occasional gunfire and explosives. The “rebels” didn’t win that fight. They fled but with a promise that come 2021 there’d be more trouble.

Well it’s 2021…and friends whisper to us to make sure we have lots of food at home. They tell us to not send our kids to school first thing in the morning until we know that the situation is safe. They warn us that the next morning things could start.

There have been many false alarms, but we appreciate them warning us anyways. We are thankful that there are islanders who care about us and want us to stay safe. Better a false alarm than an unpleasant surprise. 

Birthday hike to falls!

No major unrest has happened, but there have been movement of soldiers and the arrests and imprisonment of journalists and political opponents. There is the fear that if you are caught talking too loudly that you could be taken in next and questioned about how you got your information. So islanders are careful to whom they talk and they whisper.

We’re not sure how this story will end on the islands. Sometimes in the past there has been a lot of talk and no action. But that week of listening to gunfire in 2018 has taught us that open conflict is possible here too.

So we stay alert and we pray for peace and for good and just governance!

PRAYERS ANSWERED
The women’s gathering went well and plans were made for February to meet again as a large group while smaller groups meet more often. We found a house for our new teammates coming in February! We are already in the process of creating a contract with the landlord! Our new house seems ready for us to move in too! We’re thankful for a fun time celebrating Megan’s birthday this past week!

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray with us for peace and justice on the islands and around the world! Please continue to pray for all the islands as COVID returns but especially the smallest island which continues to be cut off from the other islands and where COVID seems widespread now. We continue to hear reports of new cases and deaths. May our colleagues and island brothers and sisters there be a light in this dark and difficult time. One of our teammates has a low-grade fever and is self-isolating— pray that she can get a COVID test and that it will be negative so she can rejoin life.  Please pray for our move on Friday/Saturday— that it would go smoothly, that our kids would do well in the transition and that Megan’s back wouldn’t be aggravated. Pray that we would make good first impressions with our new neighbors and form good patterns of living among them.