Picnics and Patience

March is a busy month. 

Picnic Time!

Not that Marches are always busy, but this year it happens to match with the islands’ busy month.  Islanders follow a lunar religious calendar, so religious holidays aren’t static. This year April will be the month of fasting, which makes March the “month before the fasting month”  which is a busy month.  Why?  Most things will shut down with the month of fasting.  English schools will go quiet, beaches will be empty, and restaurants will close up.  So during the “before the fasting month” month, there is always a flurry of activity.  For example, last week we had exams nearly every day and more than one English program are hoping to squeeze in a ceremony.  There are lots of weddings (wedding ceremonies are forbidden during the fasting month too).  Finally, many people see this month as the last chance to party with daytime outings and eating (as that is strictly forbidden during the fasting month), so a lot of people try get out and have a barbecue/picnic!

We got invited to one of these big picnics over the weekend.  It was a great time.  There were around 20 of us. Things got off to a regular prompt start  (which means they said leaving at 8am and we were on the move at 9am). When we arrived at the picnic spot (about an hour’s drive away) everything was well organized.  Lots of food, necessary cooking utensils, and lots of water for everyone.  (We’ve been on lots of picnics that were far less organized.)  

Beautiful river nearby

After a gut-splitting delicious meal (it was a lot of food), we went for a walk.  They took us to a waterfall we’d never seen before (ten years here and we’re still discovering new things). It was beautiful.  Then we returned to the picnic spot to play some games, give some speeches (islanders love speeches), cook and eat a bit more (I couldn’t, I was too full).  Then it was time to pack up and go home.  This all seemed a bit surprising as there is usually something that goes wrong on island picnics—some unforeseen difficulty arises, or undesirable thing happens.  It seemed like they might have pulled this one off without a hitch!  Only thing is, we started to look around and asked…where is the bus?

A month with lots of activities is tiring. It is easy to struggle to maintain a good attitude. It can be hard to remember to rejoice in the investment we are making to our island relationships when yet another invite comes rolling in or as another event drags out in an inefficient manner. Not to mention it is hot and humid and generally uncomfortable. We can find lots of reasons to complain and grumble, even if it is only in our hearts. The lesson is to look for God at work, to be patient and to trust.

We had paid for a bus driver to both take us down and pick us up from the picnic spot.  It’s a pretty common thing to do for one of these events.  But our bus driver had taken the bus and left and now he was MIA. We waited, played some more games, talked, but no bus…and it was starting to get dark.  So we started walking down the road.  The way things were going, this could be a long walk.  That’s when the Lord provided.  An empty dump truck drove by and we flagged him down.  He was willing to take all of us on and bring us the 3km to the intersection where we may, in fact, be able to catch a taxi bus home.  So we climbed in and sat on the truck bed.  He rattled down the road as night fell and our teammate prayed we would be able to find a taxibus.  

From the back of the truck! Yay!

The truck pulled up to the intersection and we started unloading just as a nearly empty 15 passenger taxibus pulled up.  We piled in like sardines.  It was hot, uncomfortable and overcrowded, but we were on our way home!    We pulled into town around 8pm, tired, hot and ready to go home.

The next day we got a message from our host?  “Did you have a good time?”  
“Yes!” I told him, “Of course we did.”  (It’s not like it’s his fault the bus driver never showed up).  “And God provided a truck and a bus just when we needed it.  So we are thankful for His provision.”  
“Amen.” Our host responded.   

PRAYERS ANSWERED 

Our medical teammates have been told to go to the big island to meet with the health official that should be able to give them the authorization to begin medical work. They are hoping this development is the final hoop to their long wait-- pray for a smooth trip, good meetings with clear communication and for authorization by the end of the week! We are thankful that although the picnic described above was long, it was good. The road outside our house was finally tarred-- not sure if that is the final step, but its progress! Our daughter finished her rite-of-passage challenges marking her entrance into young adulthood and we had a little celebration. It is such a blessing to watch her grow up!

PRAYERS REQUESTED 

Megan threw out her back on Wednesday. She has spent a lot of time flat on her back since then, and has seen significant improvement. Pray for healing, for a quick recovery, a lessening of pain and for wisdom as there are several wedding events this week for close friends that she should be going to (from a relational standpoint). Pray that she can honor these friends while also protecting her recovery process. Our boys are meant to start their school exams this week-- pray that this would not be a stressful time for them. Our teammate continues to struggle with allergies--pray for relief. We only have couple more weeks before the month of fasting, pray that we would use our time wisely and be prepared for the unique opportunities that month has for sharing.