The Time of Mangoes

“That’s how it is when it’s the time of the mangoes…”

Our neighbor's car full of mangoes

It seemed to be her continual refrain throughout our conversation. We talked about the unbearable heat that was making everyone so tired… “that’s how it is when it’s the time of the mangoes, it’s so hot.” We talked about some people getting sick… “that’s how it is when it’s the time of the mangoes, people get fevers.” We talked about the water cuts and how some neighborhoods weren’t getting much water at all… “that’s how it is when it’s the time of the mangoes, we have trouble with water.”

By the end of our interaction, I was starting to feel a little defensive on behalf of all the mangoes out there. Why do they get all the blame? I had heard similar sentiments before but never again and again in the same conversation. Of course, she was basically just saying that it is the time of year for these things. Life is a little harder on the islands right now, but it’s normal, it’s like this every year. But the realization is that for her, it isn’t linked to the calendar month, it is linked to the arrival of the mangoes.

The mangoes have come and in abundance! The small piles being sold for 1 euro on the side of the road became big piles, and now those big piles have dropped to half price. With very little expense you can be swimming in mangoes. So while our neighbor only had negative things to say about the time of the mangoes, we usually celebrate it.

It’s mango season! Let’s take some time and reflect on the more positive things that ‘the time of the mangoes' brings.

Making mango butter

The time of the mangoes brings weeks and weeks of sweet, juicy deliciousness!
The time of the mangoes means the beginning of a bunch of other fruit coming into season- pineapples and litchees are on their way!
The time of the mangoes means lots of juices!
The time of the mangoes means we get to add cut up mango to our oatmeal, cereal and curries.
The time of the mangoes means yummy fruit salads.
The time of the mangoes means islanders are making and eating tons of mango relish to have with their savory meals.
The time of the mangoes means I make mango butter.
The time of the mangoes means getting to experiment with all the different varieties of mangoes and redetermining our favorites!
The time of the mangoes means we can end almost every meal with a slice of fresh, ripe mango! What could be better!

So yes, all this mango joy does come with heat, sickness and water woes, but rather than blaming the mangoes for all of that, we like to see the mangoes as a beautiful gift. They’re a bright spot and something positive and joy giving in a relatively difficult time of year.

We thank God for mangoes!

Getting relief from the heat at the river

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We finally got  some rain last night and today! It was a welcome temporary relief to the heat. Megan will start studying with Ma Imani tomorrow with plans to do so every week.  Ma Nadjma’s toddler son drank some unattended kerosene, but thankfully he didn’t suffer any serious effects and after some time at the hospital was released home. Thankful that our teammates internship at the capital hospital ended on a high note. We had an encouraging meeting with leaders from a different organization working on the island, getting on the same page and looking how we can support and encourage people in the future. We’re excited about new people that are interested in coming to the islands long term and shining light in the darkness.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray for energy and stamina for everyone as they deal with the heat of this season. Pray for regular respites of rain and good electricity for fans. A former worker is coming back to visit the islands this coming weekend— pray for safe travels and that his visit would be encouragement to all. Pray for our teammates as this is their last week in the capital area— that their new house and furniture on the plateau would be ready for them and that all the logistics for the move would come together. Pray for a meeting this week to plan another large group gathering that there would great unity between everyone and that these big gatherings would be a blessing to all. The man from the restaurant never came to talk more with Tom and we even heard that he may have traveled— pray that wherever he is that he would continue to ask questions and seek out the truth.