Ideas Take Work

 “When would be a good date for the next big gathering?” This question was followed by various comments and some back and forth until a date was chosen.

Flowers by the coast on big island

“Now, who will be part of a small group to organize it?” This second question was followed by lots of silence, people looking down and not making eye contact.

Everyone was happy with the idea of a big gathering, but it didn’t seem that anyone was actually wanting to put in the work to make it happen. The woman who asked the question doubled down and said that it needed to be new people, not the same people who organized the last gathering. With that statement, she let some people (myself included), who may have been close to being guilted into volunteering, off the hook. At the same time, she was challenging people who don’t see themselves as ‘organizers’, perhaps simply because they have never done it before. Ultimately, there was no decisions made— she told everyone to go away and think about it.

It wasn’t long before I started to doubt whether the gathering would happen (or at least as soon as was suggested). People liked the idea, but ideas require someone to actually be passionate enough about it to work for it. Ideas need some passion to see them become a reality.

As we oversee teams over three islands, we see that there are different kinds of people. There are idea people— who have lots of big ideas. There are refiners— people that take other people’s ideas and make them better. There are implementers— people who figure out how to make ideas a reality. There are finishers— people who push the team to complete things.

Idea of clean porch meant lots of work scrubbing

There are more possible roles and different ways of talking about it (see various personality tests about how people work), but we see that we can’t always stay in our preferred roles.  On our first team we did a lot of personality tests to evaluate the different roles on our team and the gaps. It wasn’t a bad thing, but we learned to be wary of these tests.  They can be great tools for self-awareness, but also for excuses.  Sometimes hearing what their ‘preferred role’ was, meant team members would pigeon-hole themselves and refuse to do anything else.  They weren’t naturally inclined or gifted in such and such, so how could anyone expect them to do that?  But what if you’re on a team with no natural idea people or no implementers or no finishers? The danger is that your team will just stagnate because it doesn’t have the right combination of people to push things along.

Sometimes there are tasks that no one is particularly excited to do. There is the grunt work that just has to get done in order for the ideas that we like to happen. We have been trying to teach our youngest son this lesson more as we try to shepherd him towards more responsibility. We aren’t going to always do things for him. The things we did when he was young, he’ll need to do for himself if he really wants them to happen. He loves our family traditions— including our traditional day off with pancakes in the morning, a family movie with popcorn and maybe a dessert. But does he love them enough to do the work to make them happen?  What about the parts of family life that he doesn’t care about as much, is he wiling to serve the family to make things that someone else might love happen?

Some family time

Ideas take work to make them a reality. We can’t make them all happen. Some shouldn’t happen. So we pray that when there is an idea that should be done, we would be able to discern it and then have the passion and perseverance to put in the work to see it through from start to finish!

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We made it safely to the big island and had some wonderful days connecting with our colleagues from the other islands during our annual gathering. We did something different with a lot more time in singing and the Word— it went well and seemed to be a blessing to our group. Our older two kids made it safely back to school and we had some good final time as a family before having to say goodbye. It sounds like people back on Clove Island are starting to take health precautions more seriously with businesses setting up handwashing stations and more education. 


PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray that the lessons we learned during our annual gathering would stay with us and inspire us to live differently. We travel back to Clove Island tomorrow. Pray for us and our kids as we get used to being separated again. We had some good times catching up with our colleagues on the big island, but it is clear that this year is a year full of transitions— pray for God’s grace to abound to them all and protect them and the work as people come and go. The medical team are headed for some vacation— pray that it would be restorative and that on their return that the newer family would have the authorization finalized to begin working in the hospital on the plateau (they had a meeting with authorities on the big island, so hopefully it will finally go through).

The Bread of Life

 We recently read about the aftermath of 5000 people being fed miraculously on a hillside.  The story of that miracle is well known, but we don’t always read about the aftermath. 

Tom and friends on holiday

After the crowds  had had their fill, they wanted more, so they followed the provider of the food across a lake and when they found him they asked for more.  But instead of giving them food to eat, he gave them words.  And they didn’t like the words.  They were uncomfortable words.  Before long, many people went away grumbling.  No food.  Uncomfortable words.  So the teacher turned to his friends and asked, “Do you want to go away, too?”  Peter answered him, “…to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life…”

As so often happens, the words we study seem to speak to our situation. This time it is the situation we are experiencing now with three friends.

One friend comes by the house to sell us things.  A long time ago we created a habit of praying and reading together.  It was nice reading together.  He clearly liked the words.  And he’s always likes to pray—especially for the needs of his family—and they always have lots of needs.  The money we give him for the things he sells helps out with that.  It used to be a regular thing for us to read and pray.  But now, every time I ask, “Do you want to read?”  The answer is “Maybe next time.”

Another friend comes by with even greater needs.  I’ve made it a habit to feed him whenever he comes, because more often than not he tells me he hadn’t had anything to eat the night before.  He hardly ever leaves without asking for something—rice, oil, sugar, taxi money.  I give it to him.  But in between the food and the asking, we read.  He loves the reading.  When I ask, “Do you want to read to today?” More often than not, his answer is, “Yes. Of course!” We read and we discuss and we pray and I see genuine joy there.  He doesn’t always understand.  Sometimes I’m not even sure if he agrees, but he loves it.  He tells me he reads or listens every day.  I hope it’s true.

Before the month of fasting, I had wondered what the month would mean for our relationship.  I wouldn’t be able to feed him as I’d been doing—everyone is expected to be fasting.  Would he change his schedule and start coming late at night—when eating is permissible?  But unexpectedly, the situation changed completely as he traveled to the Big Island for the month of fasting!  He’s still there.  But he got in touch with one of my friends on the Big Island and they have been reading together regularly!  His hunger for the words of life continues.

Our kids and neighbor kids on holiday

I have one other friend.  A few years ago we read a lot together.  We read story after story until one day he got to a story he would not accept.  He told me so.  “I don’t agree with this,” he told me flat out.  Shortly after that we stopped reading together.  He was not invested in our friendship for what he could get out of it.  He simply wanted to hear the words.  But when the words got uncomfortable, he stopped listening.  I would see him now and then.  Lately, he would greet me with a fervency and intensity that made me wonder—has something changed for him?  He seemed to be hinting that something was different, but he was yet to tell me about it.

Then a few days after Easter he came over to my house.  His excuse was to ask for money!  (The big holiday was coming and we get lots of requests this time of year for a little help.)  But as he sat down with me, it became clear that he had really come to talk.  He asked me question after question.  And though he asked challenging questions, he seemed satisfied with the answers given him.  At one point he asked a question that I didn’t answer well and amazingly, he supplied a better answer as if perhaps he had been thinking these things through on his own.  At the end of the conversation he asked if we could start reading together again.  I’m convinced that that was the real purpose of his visit.  I don’t think he really wanted money at all.

I don’t begin to claim that I know the heart of any of these men.  I don’t know what’s going on with them deep down.  But I see similarities to the story.  Some are in it just for the food.  When the food runs out, they have no reason to stay.  Some are in it while the words are pleasing, but when they get challenging, they reject them.  But a few hear the words and know it gives life and hunger for more.  We pray for more with such a hunger.

Celebrating our daughter's dunking and new life

PRAYERS ANSWERED
The big holiday went well. Tom and the boys went and visited good friends and neighbors, sharing greetings and blessings, while Megan and our daughter greeted people at our house. The month of fasting is over and we were able to go to the river and cool off. This past weekend we were able to celebrate our daughter twice— first celebrating her 16th birthday early (she’ll be at boarding school on the actual day) and then celebrating the new life she is embracing with God with the traditional dunking in the water. We were blessed with a beautiful day and an uncrowded beach. We are so thankful for the beautiful woman of God she is becoming.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Cholera cases have picked up on Clove Island and we have personally known a family that had several members hospitalized. Pray that the spread of disease would stop and that islanders would take precautions seriously. This coming week, we will travel to the big island and the weekend will be spent with our colleagues who work on both the big and small islands. We hope to listen and sense how God might be moving us as a group— pray that we would be attentive listeners and ready vessels for Him. Our two older kids will leave from the big island to go back to school. Pray for all the logistics of packing up and traveling and for a smooth transition back to school for the last term of the year. There are several future possibilities for new workers to the islands at various points in the pipeline— pray for good discernment for all involved and that the right workers would come to the right teams with the right timing.

Too Good to Be True

 It is so common at this time of year that it’s almost a daily occurrence.  Entering a shop, or passing by on the street, someone who looks a bit tired and irritable (who you may or may not know) looks up at you from where they are sitting, hardly moving and asks, “Are you fasting?”  Or if they’re really cranky, “You’re not able to fast, are you?”

Food waiting for the breaking of the fast

We’ve been answering this question for years, but each year we think about our answers in new ways.  You see, this question is at once a challenge and an open door.  A challenge, because it can make us feel small, the outsider, the disobedient ones who don’t join in the communal fast.  But it’s also an open door because it’s a question, and a question begs a response.  And the response is an opportunity.  It’s an opportunity to touch a nerve, challenge a preconceived thought, share a bit of love and compassion, open a door.  It’s also an opportunity to close a door, offend, and reinforce a stereotype.  We take our responses both seriously and loosely.  Seriously in that we want to be thoughtful and ready, but also loosely knowing that we are not the One who can change people’s hearts.

As I walked into one shop this week a man I didn’t know asked me, “How’s the month of fasting going?”  I like it when they ask in this way.  It feels a lot less combative than the normal question.  Because I can just answer, “It’s going great!”  Before he could ask me the follow up question, “Are you fasting?” I let him know. “But I’m not fasting.”  Then I explained to him how my fast is already complete.  My king has already paid the price for the forgiveness of my sin, so I don’t have to.  So you see, my fast is already completed.  He laughed at this.  It wasn’t a mean-spirited laugh.  More like a “if you only realized what you are saying” sort of laugh.

Morning view over our town

And I can understand what he means.  I’m a fan of the old adage, “Too good to be true.”  In this world, if you come across something that sounds too good to be true, it probably means something fishy is going on.  If the price is too low you want to know what’s wrong with the product.  What’s the catch?  And more often than not, there is a catch.  I know that what I said to the guy in the shop must sound a lot like that:

“You’re telling me I don’t have to fast.  I don’t have to pay my dues.  I don’t have to work hard—that forgiveness will just be given to me as a gift?  Too good to be true!”  He’s probably thinking.

Street sellers' deals- too good to be true?

But if we are honest we know that sometimes—sometimes it’s not too good to be true.  Sometimes—sometimes it is so good and it is true.  Sometimes on rare occasions, the price really is that low.  Sometimes we are in the right place at the right time.  Sometimes, in our moments of great need, someone gives us the help or the money or the chance that we’d been waiting for and we don’t see it as too good to be true, but as a great gift we would never refuse.  Sometimes—sometimes, at just the right time we are given something truly good and only a fool would question it.    

But even with these windfalls, there’s still a catch.  If you look a little deeper, you’d see it.  As my economics teacher used to say, “There’s no free lunch.  If you didn’t pay for it—someone did.”  And that is true in this case too.  This gift of forgiveness I have received comes at great cost.  A cost so great that, if I take it into my heart, I will want to give my whole life in thankful sacrifice for it.  It is a cost so full of sacrificial love that I will want to turn around and fast and work hard and serve and sacrifice too.  But not to pay my dues—No!  Rather out of gratitude for a life transformed.  Someone had to die to pay my dues—the greatest cost of all.  But the debt has been paid.  So I can live my life forever indebted in love to the one who forgave my debt.  My fast was completed for me, but my life is transformed—too true and too good.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
There was a nice women’s gathering this past week meeting at a local sister’s house. There was some honest discussions about their struggles. Our daughter wants to celebrate her acceptance of the good news and to be dunked here on the islands this coming weekend! One sister shared about how she sees things changing on the islands and is hopeful for a day when things will be more free.  An island brother shared with us that he has 7 different people in his village that are looking to study with him. Tom had some good exchanges with people after sending out Easter greetings to people. One man, who studied with Tom years ago, says he wants to start studying again!

PRAYERS REQUESTED
It has been painfully hot and humid lately. This has been coupled with increasing electricity cuts. Pray for a relief from the heat and for power for fans through the nights. This coming week will be the biggest holiday of the island year, ending the month of fasting. We will get a chance to see and greet many island friends and neighbors during the day— pray that we would have good interactions and increasing opportunities to go deep with islanders. In under two weeks we will be having our annual gathering for our group’s workers— pray that all the logistics and planning would come together and that we would all be prepared to hear God guide and direct us.

Life to Come

Knowing how long we have changes our perspective. There has been a lot of death lately. Lots of times where it has come up in conversation, a reminder that we never know the day or time.

View from our sunrise service on Sunday

Some think this life is it. A colleague’s father was questioning her about why we would choose these ‘harder’ lives on the islands and not choose to be comfortable. My friend’s answer was that this life and how comfortable we are isn’t the main thing. This life isn’t the end all— we have a whole other life after. The life to come is more important. It is that life that will not end. This is just the backstory for the main event.

As I was talking with my island friend, Nanasi, someone who is often concerned about money and status, I shared this sentiment.  Like many islanders, she was quick to agree with me, but she took it in a different direction than I wanted. “Yes, that is why we need to do good things here so we can have it good in that life.”

A well-timed bloom

I was quick to shut that line of thought down. No, it’s not about getting it good in the life to come, the focus isn’t on different types of human pleasure, it’s about being together with God, being in His presence.

But God is perfect. He can’t accept sin, so He can’t accept us because we all carry sin in us. A bunch of good deeds doesn’t change that fact. We can’t come to God on our own— we can only be brought to Him.

We can work as much as we want building our own road to God, but we have to realize that a road has already been paved and cleared for us. In order to know the way and in order to be let in, we have to be brought along by the road-builder Himself.

During this month of fasting, we see so many people struggling to build a road to God, thinking that each fasted day and each prayer said is another brick laid on their path, while at the same time never knowing if they will have reached far enough before the end. Throughout this month, we’ve tried to joyfully proclaim that we aren’t struggling to make a road. “The way has already been opened for us!  We already know we will be with God in the life to come!”

Nanasi smiled, but I saw the puzzlement in her eyes as she listened to these sentiments and as she gave the standard response to any comment about the future, “God willing.”

Our son turns 14!

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We praise God that we have Risen Savior who has conquered the grave. We are thankful for various Easter celebrations across the islands.  We especially enjoyed our own sunrise service on the top of the tallest building in Clove Island!  We continue to be thankful to have all our kids home with us and for our older son turning 14! We were able to find some fun ways to celebrate his birthday. We are thankful that Muki continues to study with our friends while he is visiting the big island.  We are thankful for many opportunities we’ve had this month to talk of the road that is already built for us and the way that lies open to all who choose it.  

PRAYERS REQUESTED
We just got word last night that a former neighbor just died. She was older but not sickly. The burial and first day of funeral events was today. Continue to pray that we might be a light to those who are grieving and thinking about the realities of death and the life to come.  The month of fasting continues.  Pray that we would be strong through it, to speak boldly of the path that has already been laid and the futility of building your own path.  Pray that we could balance well the time with all our kids and the joy it is to have them around with the regular responsibilities of work and life.  Pray for the idea of having a big group gathering— it’s not clear if it will happen during the month of fasting or if it will wait until after when people from far away can come.

Re-Counting the Costs

All new workers to the islands must read and respond to a certain document we send them. One of the objectives of this document is to get people to think about what they will be giving up in coming to the islands and anticipating what sacrifices and difficulties they will face here.

Our older kids just got back on break between terms!

Ultimately, we want people to have counted the cost, prayed about the cost, and to have found some God-granted peace before coming. By coming with eyes wide open, they will not be blind-sided by the hard things and will already have that assurance that God led them here and will be with them through the difficulties.  

As a team, we are reading and discussing a book by an overseas worker about facing risks and danger. In one chapter, the author challenged us with the need to re-count the costs, or at least to be sensitive that others may need to recount the cost, even if we feel like we have already done so. She focused on the different family situations— single vs married vs having young kids vs older kids, and the different roles— new workers vs team leaders vs regional leaders, and the changing circumstances and difficulties that might have been unforeseen and unexpected.

Basically, she is challenging us to acknowledge that we can’t have anticipated everything— our lives and our circumstances are complex webs— and we might find that there is a cost that we hadn’t considered or found peace with before.

Son in costume for the play

For many workers, they had to recount the cost when the COVID pandemic hit. The shutting of borders around the globe was unprecedented— we may have had peace about the islands’ lack of medical care when we came out, but before you could always fly to another country if necessary. With borders closed that wasn’t really possible.

Other things that makes us count the cost again are changes in our health or aging parents or other family needs—all change the cost of being overseas. Sometimes as people recount the cost, they find that they don’t have peace about staying anymore and they feel that God is asking them to pay the different cost of returning to their home country.

In reality, every decision has a cost, and just as we see prices of produce rise greatly on the islands because of too much rain this year, so we see the new or higher costs of our decisions as circumstances change.

A newer cost for us has been having kids at boarding school. We were aware that it might be something we’d want to do when we first came to the islands, but our eldest was a baby then. It was far off and didn’t really feel real at that time. After several years that cost became real and we had to acknowledge the cost, grieve the sacrifice and find peace with it.

This past month, that cost felt a little more expensive. Our daughter is in choir and had a tour. Our son was playing basketball and had games.  He also had a role in the Jr. High drama production. Before, I would have said that our kids being involved in activities like sports, choir and drama is one of the great benefits of them going to boarding school (and it is), but having our kids do these extra-curriculars and rarely being able to be there in person to watch them and cheer them on has been a heavier than expected load.

With his Wood Tech creations

It doesn’t mean we don’t have peace with our decision of living on the islands or having our kids at boarding school. But we have to acknowledge the cost and recommit to being here in spite of it. We have to place our burdens down at the feet of the One who can carry them much better than we can. It’s a process and the process teaches us and prepares us for the next time we have to recount.

We hope to prepare so that new workers facing difficult situations can say, “We knew this was part of it. We knew this was going to be difficult. This isn’t a surprise.” But even when the surprises come, we hope the experience of counting the cost and seeing God faithful will help us to say, “If this is what He wants, then we can have peace through this too.”

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Our two older kids made it through their end-of-term exams and projects. They arrived back to us yesterday after a long trip (3 flights) to get back to Clove Island. We are thankful for the different adults that were able to help them along the way. We are thankful that we will have them with us for the next 4 weeks!  We are thankful for the opportunities this month of fasting give us and our colleagues to share the good news of hope and forgiveness.  We are encouraged by all the people who join us in fervent prayer this month for islanders as this is a time when many may be seeking a deeper connection with God.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray for everyone on the islands celebrating the Easter holiday this upcoming weekend, which is made more difficult during the month of fasting. May it be a wonderful time of celebrating the new life we have available to us! Pray for those facing persecution this month. We’ve heard that a group on the big island had police enter and stop their normal weekly meeting, even though they had federal permissions to exist.  The local mayor forbad them to meet in that town. We also heard of an island sister whose landlord is threatening to kick out her family because of her beliefs. Pray that these situations could be turned into opportunities for more people to hear and be impacted by the good news.  Pray for our youngest son as he finishes up his local school exams and then for all our kids to enjoy a break from schoolwork. Pray for us as we try to find fun ways to celebrate our older son’s birthday (most of his preferred options are difficult or not possible during the month of fasting). Pray also for the increasing number of cholera cases on the island (most islanders don’t believe the reports that it is on the island). Pray that islanders would take sanitation seriously and would get treatment at the first sign of symptoms.

Awkward and Difficult or an Opportunity?

 When we first came to the islands, we tended to see the month of fasting as difficult and uncomfortable time. Our routines and rhythms are disrupted. You never know when shops will be open or when the bakeries will have bread. Life is a little more difficult. Islanders are more tired and  often irritable because they are fasting and staying up late. They also become more aggressive and pushy in their religious conversations, usually taking a superior view of themselves in comparison to someone of any other belief. We started to see the constant badgering about whether we were fasting as trial to be endured, a test of our patience and of our ability to not answer with antagonism.

Smaller English club during fasting month

But then years ago, I was challenged to not pray for the month of fasting as something to endure, but to actually find joy in it. Praying that we would answer people with joy in our hearts—and be excited to have the opportunity to share with those who were fasting and putting all their hopes in their own good works.

It ended up being a shift. Instead of thinking of defensive responses where we’d be caught trying to explain how we loved God just as much as they do and how we just fasted in different ways, we started answering with joy in our hearts about how we rejoice that we don’t have to fast like them— our way to God is already cleared for us!

Family movie in back hallway during month of fasting

It reminds me of another situation where a new brother was asked to become an elder of his town (an elder would be expected to lead the community in religious observances). Everyone was immediately very tense about this— wondering what the motives of this request were. Did the town see that he wasn’t completely orthodox and were hoping to make him conform? Was it a trap? Or were they just trying to honor him as a respected man of a certain age? It was easy to see the request as an awkward, difficult situation. But then there was a shift in thinking, maybe this is a great opportunity for him to have influence and be an agent for change in his greater community.

To be honest, as foreigners on the islands, we have been in lots of awkward and uncomfortable situations. Like good and sincere friends asking to set up a betrothal between our daughter and their son. Or our single teammates constantly being bombarded with marriage proposals, or the countless requests for us to privately tutor people or to help them get a visa to the US. Seeing these conversations as opportunities doesn’t mean we are granting people’s requests, but answering them with joy, and with gratitude at the opportunity to share.

Recently, a wealthy island friend, who has been very generous to us (inviting us to his home for a feast for example), has asked us to help him visit the US. He can get his own visa, but he wondered if he could stay with our family there for a month. Some part of us wondered if there wasn’t a way to wriggle out of this awkward and difficult situation, but it didn’t take long for us to see the opportunity to not only deepen our friendship with this islander but for him to meet and interact with people that could have a positive influence on him.

Lost first canine!

We’re not sure what will come during this month of fasting, but we know it will include a number of moments that could be awkward or difficult— we pray that in those moments we can have the perspective to receive them with joy and take advantage of the opportunities they represent.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We are thankful that Muki reached out to one of our friends on the big island and they plan to study together while Muki is on that island. We are encouraged to hear that his desire to learn and grow has not been lessened with his temporary change of location. Our son had a significant speaking role in his jr high play this past weekend. We are very proud of him and thankful he got that experience. We have already seen answers to prayer as we have asked people to pray for specific people during the month of fasting and then we have had opportunities to share the good news with those people. Our colleague’s first week of internship at the hospital went well— not tons of patients come during the month of fasting, but her interactions with the few patients and staff have gone well.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray that the answers to prayer and opportunities to share truth with islanders would continue. There has been no progress on plans for a larger gathering as some of the key players have been sick/busy. Pray for good health and a clear plan moving forward. Pray for our kids— all three of them have end of term exams this week. Pray that they would feel prepared without being stressed. Pray for our oldest two kids as they travel back to the islands at the end of the week— there are a couple awkward things with their travel that have the possibility of making it more stressful— pray that it all goes smoothly and that they can even get some rest as they travel overnight. Pray for the islands as times continue to be hard— with produce shortages and high prices and heat making the month of fasting harder on everyone (especially the poor). If you want to receive our weekly prayer emails during the month of fasting or a link to a website with prayer prompts, please let us know!

How Much Honor

 We came to the end of the line. The end of an over 2 hour van ride that had left several people car sick with the twisting roads going up and down mountains. The end of a dead-end road. The only reason to take that final turn is to come to this final village. A village tucked away on the other side of the island— close to no other village. Several of the people in the van were only tagging along to see the village, which none of them had ever been to. I’ll admit that was one of the reasons that I agreed to go to— to be able to say that I had gone to another one of the far corners of the island.

Village gathered for ceremony

But in reality we were there for an English ceremony. A teacher we had trained and who was part of a program teaching on the comparatively near plateau, had started classes in this village and it was time for his students to get certificates. I expect that a good portion of the village was there, some welcomed into chairs and bunches of others standing along the edges. A group of kids were constantly being shooed away from lifting up the cloth that had been hung to provide temporary walls for the gathering.

Tom came ready with his speech— representing our NGO, the parent group for this program (even if we had never taught a class or even visited before this moment). As Tom began to speak, someone came and put a flower necklace around his neck. This is not a surprise. We can rarely go to an event like this without being given a necklace. This is how they honor us and each other.

But then a group of women ascended the platform and surrounded Tom. We could still hear his voice giving the speech thanks to the microphone and speakers, but we could no longer see him, as a flurry of arms reached up over his head to put on necklaces and while others slipped around pinning flowers and money onto his jacket and others worked arms in to shove small bills in his pocket. This was new!

Tom beginning his speech

By the end of his speech, Tom had necklaces up to his ears, at least seven items safety-pinned to his jacket and a wad of over $15 in cash shoved into his breast pocket.

We have seen people receive several necklaces before (especially in villages and usually when it is  a beloved son with many loving aunties, mamas, and cousins). We have also seen money forced on people as they talk or sing before a crowd (slipped into the neck of their shirt if there are no pockets). At weddings, it is common for large number of the guests to get flower necklaces, while the wedding singer will be given cash tips from several people.

Most of the time these necklaces are planned… with the family members preparing the flower necklaces at home and bringing them for the express purpose of giving them to specific people. The giving of money is sometimes spontaneous. There was one pre-adolescent young man who gave a surprisingly rousing speech in English at this ceremony that had some of our friends (who didn’t know him at all) pulling money from their wallets to slip into the boy’s pocket as he spoke.

Tom at end of speech

In the US we would probably clap loudly and cheer to show our appreciation, maybe even give them a standing ovation. We may even go up to them afterwards to honor them with compliments.  In some settings we would have pre-planned to give them a flower bouquet, but probably not with the sense of extravagance that Tom received for his 3 minute speech.  It felt a bit much.

In this far-away, end-of-the-line village— most people, even fellow islanders, have never visited. By coming, by helping (even tangentially) to get the English program going there, we had honored this village and they were working to pay that back. They were meeting honor with honor, and in doing so they were also raising themselves up. Because by doing so much for Tom, not only will we remember how long it took to get there, we will also remember how much we were honored there.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
The women’s gathering went well and was better attended than in the previous few months. The small island was able to have a memorial gathering (with representatives from the other two islands as well) for the two workers who had died. It sounds like it was an encouraging time of sharing memories and testimonies. Our teammate’s first days doing an internship at the hospital were mainly just waiting for paperwork, but she did get to meet the people she will be working with and they seemed excited to welcome her.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
The new moon was not seen last night, so it is sure to be seen tonight, meaning fasting will begin on the islands tomorrow (Tuesday). Please be praying for this special month, which is full of unique challenges and opportunities to share truth. If you are interested in a website or emails with ways to pray during the month of fasting, let us know.  A date has been picked for potentially doing a big group meeting during the month of fasting, but no details have been figured out and it is unclear who will step up from the different smaller groups to help organize it. Pray that whatever plans come together that it would encourage unity. Tom’s regular study partner, Muki, has traveled to the big island for a few weeks and hopes to connect with one of our worker friends. Pray that he’d hear the good news again from this fresh source and be impacted by it. Pray that he would share the things he has been learning with Tom with his family there on the big island. Cholera cases continue to be popping up on the islands and are now on Clove Island and the small island as well (originally it was only on the big island)— pray that people would take sanitation precautions seriously and that the number of cases would decrease and stop soon. Pray for our two older kids at boarding school as they enter the last two weeks of their term—  they have a number of tests and projects and our son will be in the jr high play this weekend. Pray that they would get enough rest and have peace in the midst of heavy workloads and stress.

Loss and Regret

 Idadi was my neighbor.  Every day as I left the house I would see him, sitting on the stairs that lead up to his office.  He rarely actually went in his office.  Mostly he sat on the stairs.  I would wave and we would exchange greetings.  Sometimes I’d go over and sit with him.  He liked to tell me about how he used to travel.  All the places he would go—China, Dubai, India, etc.  He had been a big business man once.  But now he didn’t do that much any more.  He mostly stayed outside his office, sitting on the steps.

And then one day a few weeks ago, he wasn’t there.  He died suddenly.  His brother says he was sitting in his chair looking at his tablet one moment and the next moment he had slumped to the floor.  A doctor was called, CPR was tried, but it was too late.  They don’t do post-mortem exams here, but the assumption is that he had a massive heart attack and died.  We learned he was probably in his fifties/sixties, we thought he was younger.  It was not expected.

I was surprised to see how many people showed up at Idadi’s funeral.  The place was packed.  When I went to a secondary event which is usually less heavily attended, I was again surprised to see hundreds of people come.  His brother told me later that they had expected about 500 people to come and instead had 1000.  They had to run out and get more water for all the guests.  A week after that I sat with one of my friends and he told me the sad story of Idadi’s life.  

Coffin loaded on a truck

Idadi had been a well known man, an entrepreneur.  He had started businesses and then handed them off or sold them to others.  He had had his hands in all sorts of things.  He was a rich man, building a big house up the hill (where the rich people build their rich houses).  But one day, about ten years ago, it all crashed.  His business deals went bad (my friend was hazy on the details).  He went broke.  The bank repossessed his grand home and he went to live with his in-laws, a broken man.  After that his life was spent going from his home to his office, sitting on those steps, not doing much of anything anymore.  Everyone said, he wasn’t the same person after that. The loss had touched him mentally. He was a broken man.   I had never heard this story before.

Idadi's funeral procession

Idadi never shared his story with me, but perhaps I never asked the right questions.  I never shared the good news with Idadi.  I don’t really know why.  It just never seemed like the opportunity arose (and it’s not usually too hard for opportunities to arise here).  For whatever reason, I never shared with him.  Idadi was a broken man.  His heart failed him in the end, but perhaps it had already failed him many years before.  And now I look back with regret.  We carry in us words of life.  Healing for broken hearts.  Hope for those who have lost it.  But I never shared that hope with him.  I just assumed he wasn’t interested and it never came up.  He seemed content.  There are plenty of guys here who spend their days in front of their shop watching the world go by.  I thought Idadi was one of those.  But maybe that’s just because I don’t know their stories.  Perhaps each of them has a similar history of loss, grief and brokenness.  I don’t know.  But perhaps what I take for contentment is actually a mask—like it was for Idadi.  Perhaps Idadi would have turned a deaf ear to the good news I wish I had shared with him, or perhaps not.  I will never know.

I take solace in two things.  One is that, Idadi was a neighbor.  He saw us everyday.  He saw us interact with others—we are vessels of hope and life, temples of the Spirit—perhaps it kindled a flame in his heart.  Idadi also traveled a good deal at one time in his life.  He may have heard the good news in his travels.  Maybe, before the end of his life, he may have thought about the truth that he heard.  I may be grasping at straws, but there was mercy for a thief on a cross, perhaps there is some for Idadi too.  

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Over the last few weeks we have been a part of many funeral events related to Idadi’s death.  This has been a chance for us to draw closer and show our love to our neighbors.  Our daughter had her choir tour— it was tiring, but overall a positive experience. We had another set of visitors (this time workers from the French island). It was great to meet them and get to know them. One of them was ill and we’re thankful that an island friend and doctor was able to see her, and that she left feeling better. We have been having some rain that has helped to break up the heat.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Our guests from the French Island have reminded us how difficult things have been there. For over a month, the whole island has been shut down by protests and violence and blockaded roads. Pray for a way forward towards stability for that island. Pray for the brothers and sisters on the small island as they try to decide what to do to remember the two workers who had invested years there who recently died. There is just one full week before the month of fasting begins on the islands— pray that we could be thoughtful and prayerful in preparation for that time. Pray also as we talk with others about when and how to do a larger gathering in that time. Pray for our teammate as she begins an internship at the hospital as she considers doing occupational therapy (she is trained in that, but has been teaching English here so far). The women will gather for their monthly study this week— pray that it would be encouraging and challenging and that those who haven’t attended the past few times would be able to come.

Wicked Problems

 I (Tom) was at a conference earlier this month.  It was all about innovation.  How do we avoid stagnation?  How do we avoid the pitfall of merely sustaining and move toward a place of innovation and change?

Funeral procession

One of the things that stands in the way of innovation, according to the speaker, are what he called “wicked problems.”  These are problems so big, they seem almost unsolvable.  They are so big, you don’t know how to define them.  They are so big that the people involved have different opposing agendas that aren’t going to go away.  They are so big that, they don’t just have one root cause, but multiple root causes that need to be addressed together.  They are problems so big no one person or one organization can solve it.  They are problems so complex, it’s even hard to say what the final solution looks like.  

We were encouraged to brainstorm and think about the “wicked problems” for our locations.  It was not hard to come up with a long list for the islands:

• lack of infrastructure
• corruption
• high unemployment
• trash
• lack of freedom of thought, both religious and otherwise
• illiteracy
• paternalism
• community pressure to conform
• persecution for those who don’t conform
• lack of opportunity
• illegal emigration
• lack of health care

On prayer day, got distracted by the trash pile on the beach

The list could go on and on.  It is not hard to think of wicked problems.  It’s easy to get stuck by them.  The speaker’s point in having us list them seemed to be to remind us of what we are up against and to help us remember that we cannot do this alone.  He then had a set of steps to follow that would help us address these wicked problems.  I liked his steps.  They seemed helpful, but at the same time, it felt like something was missing.

We mentioned in a post some weeks ago that Megan and I recently watched a documentary series about the Civil Rights movement—talk about a wicked problem.  We mentioned how the documentary could not disguise the fact that this movement was reliant on more than good strategies and engaging speakers.  There was a spiritual nature to the movement that imbued and injected and surrounded their actions.  It was not something they themselves were accomplishing.  They had Help.

One of the verses we meditated on during the conference was Isaiah 43:19 “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” 

At a village ceremony

It is good to think about the wicked problems and contemplate those we may not see yet, and even to use the tools suggested by the speaker to examine them carefully—but I like the words of this verse.  We are not the ones doing the new thing.  He is.  It’s already springing up.  The question is do we perceive it?  Are we ready to join him?  He does solve wicked problems, and if our eyes are open, he might use us to bring about those solutions.  May it be so on the islands.  May He use you and me—all of us, to solve these wicked problems.  So we pray for open eyes—“Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”

PRAYERS ANSWERED
The island sister that Megan helped facilitate going to mainland Africa for medical treatment, had multiple opportunities to share truth with islanders living there, and found great openness. She also had a chance to record a new song to bless the community here. We have some house guests from the big island and we have been blessed to get to know them better and to see them interact with and encourage the brothers and sisters here. Tom is feeling all better. Our son at school in mainland Africa had a good final basketball game of the season.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
We had news of another death this week— a former worker on the small island (from the same organization as the man who died the week before). Both men were not old and had invested years on the small island. Pray that in their deaths the messages that they taught would be well remembered. Pray for the wives and families as they grieve back in their home countries.  There are only a couple weeks before the month of fasting begins, which means a rush of events and visitors before that starts. Pray that we’d have the energy for all these activities and also be able to thoughtfully prepare for the month of fasting as well. Our daughter is going to be participating in a 3-day choir tour this coming weekend for her school in mainland Africa— pray that they would feel well-prepared and that both those who sing and those who listen would be blessed by the experience.

Calloused Hearts?

    Three little kittens appeared by the back door. They are cute and clumsy and skittish. We know that their chance of survival until adulthood is not high. In other situations, in another part of the world, this would probably tug at our heart strings enough to spur us to action, and there would be a strong possibility of us adopting a kitten.

Mommy cat and one kitten

     But we have been in similar situations before— we seem to have feral kittens at our doorstop every year or two. That’s not to mention all the feral kittens we will pass along the street. The cat population is unchecked here and only the strong survive. Most adult cats are scarred and mean-looking.
    We’ve had colleagues that regularly take in cats and it is a big job. Despite their efforts, lots of their cats die of disease, of poisoning, from cat fights. Plus, because there are no vets here, that means no vaccinations and no spaying, so we’ve also heard lots of stories of having to abandon kittens in the forest because they couldn’t take any more cats as their female cats just had litter after litter. Not to mention the struggle they often have to find anyone to watch their cats when they travel. All these realities mean that we have never been interested in adopting a cat ourselves (even though we both had cats growing up).
    That doesn’t mean we’re not touched by the sight of a cute little kitten that is obviously struggling. But our hearts are calloused enough that while we might show it a little kindness, we aren’t going to swoop in and save the kitten from its struggles— the price is too high and we’ve just seen too many kittens like that.
    Even as we recognize this callousing of our hearts, we worry that the same callousing could happen to human suffering. How many people ask us for money? How many people need work? How many children could use more help in school? Everyone is struggling. People are truly poor. The islands’ economy and education systems are a mess. But we also know the costs of getting too heavily involved. We know the risks of dependency, and that certain types of giving and helping ultimately end up hurting or de-empowering people. 

Black kitten hiding from us

 We don’t want to be calloused to human suffering, but when we are asked again and again, we know there has to be limits.
    So what’s the answer? How do we keep our hearts supple? Prayer is a big part of it. Making sure we are still willing to be part of solutions. Maybe we can’t tackle every problem, maybe we can’t or shouldn’t provide a full solution, but maybe we can still do something. And maybe there is a problem that God is wanting us to help with. We need to maintain that openness to help, even if in a majority of the situations we won’t do much— we can be open and we can pray.
    These new kittens really aren’t that bad off. They still have their mother, and our neighbors have been leaving scraps out in the hopes of encouraging cats and thereby discouraging rodents. They have a place to sleep out of the rain. They actually have a better chance than most kittens here. But how many people are in a real bad place. We have seen the requests for food and money increase. There have been lots of storms and people are complaining that all the rain and wind has ruined a bunch of crops— making for higher food prices and less income for farming families. The public schools have been out of session more than they’ve been in session this school year so far.  So we give when there are requests, Tom has continued with literacy lessons with our one young friend, and we pray. God, keep our hearts supple and show us how you want to use us.

Reuniting at Clove Island airport

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Megan was finally able to meet with small group of island sisters that had been meaning to start studying for months and there are plans for this week too. Tom made it back home safely (if a little sick) and has started feeling better. It has been wonderful to have him back and hear what he learned at the conference. We are excited that a new team for the small island is starting to take shape after lots of waiting— there are four new members in the pipeline!

PRAYERS REQUESTED
There were two shocking deaths this week. One was a like-minded colleague on the small island (originally from West Africa), who has partnered with our team there for years. He was in his home country, but his wife and teenage daughter were on the small island. We are thankful that our team there could come alongside the wife and daughter and support them as they heard the news, packed up and left the islands. Pray for them in their time of loss and this sudden uprooting from their island home, and for the hole left on the small island at the loss of this family.  The second death just happened yesterday— one of our landlord’s brother, a man we see nearly everyday, who wasn’t sick or particularly old, but died suddenly. Pray for all those in shock and that we could be voices of comfort and light to the extended family.  We have heard that there continues to be cases of cholera on the big island, including a few deaths— we pray that the public health efforts would be successful in helping contain this outbreak. Pray for us also as we had another incident of catching a young friend stealing from us. Pray for us as we try to consider what the repercussions should be for this breaking of trust.

A Drop in the Bucket

 Sometimes our life on the islands seems difficult.  The task seems so great and we are so few.  There are nearly a million islanders.  How many can I possibly know, show love to, encourage, share my life with, share my heart with?  Sometimes it feels like it is a drop in the bucket.  Could it ever really make a difference?

Glimpses of city from bus window

This past week I went to a conference in a city of 25 million people.  A people much like Islanders— friendly, hospitable, but also hard and unyielding.  25 million.  The number itself is staggering.  It’s not the sort of number you can get your head around.  But as we drove from the airport to the conference venue, that number became real to me.

As we raced down the highway, we started to see apartment blocks.  The construction is simple a layer of concrete for the floor with concrete pillars for load bearing.  The walls filled in with red brick.  Layer upon layer upon layer.  They look unfinished and they are.  The place where windows ought to be, only a hole in the brick work.  And yet they are occupied.  Clothes hanging out to dry give some indication, and as a local expat told us—“They may look abandoned, but I can almost guarantee you that every one you see is lived in.”  The apartments are stacked like legos, 6, 10, 12 stories high, and not overly sturdy to my eye.  And they went on and on and on. Mile after mile after mile.  People stacked up on one another in a fashion I’ve never seen.  It felt like we would never see the end of it.  It felt like 25 million people—smooshed, piled, and pressed together in a never ending sea of brick and concrete.

And sometimes our work in the islands feels like a drop in the bucket.

So many buildings, so many people

We were told at the conference, that the reality is that less and less people are coming to places like this, whether it’s the islands, or this giant metropolis.  They feel like there is plenty of work to do right at home.  They are not wrong in that.  But if there are 25 million people—or even 1 million people—living without a hope, a taste, a chance to get a sip of the living water, how can we stay home?  Why don’t our hearts break?  Why don’t we ask ourselves, “Who will go?”

Sometimes it feels like our work is like a drop in the bucket.  But I am told that it is not.  I am told that it is more like a tiny seed, planted in the field that becomes a mighty tree.  I am told that it is like a spoonful of yeast that transforms the entire ball of dough.  How many can I possibly know, show love to, encourage, share my life with, share my heart with?  Not many.  But it is a seed planted.  It is a little bit of yeast in the mix.  But there are still so many places that have no seed, no bit of yeast.  Who will go?

Tom and kids enjoying a meal together on their break

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Our teammate had a good and busy final week on the island— she was feeling better and was able to have time with lots of different islanders. She left well and made it safely to the big island today (her journey will continue tomorrow). We haven’t heard any more reports about cholera on the islands so it would seem that it was successfully contained (praying that remains the case). Tom had a good time at the conference learning and being challenged and reconnecting with old friends and colleagues. Tom was able to spend the weekend with our two older kids (who had their mid-term long weekend break). They had a good time together. Megan was able to facilitate one island sister’s travel to mainland Africa for medical treatment, making connections and providing translation.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Megan is hoping to finally get the ball rolling towards weekly studies with some island sisters— this has had lots of obstacles. Pray that if this is meant to happen that obstacles would be removed and everyone would be motivated. Our friend who was recently widowed just had a miscarriage.  Please pray for her as she processes this new source of grief. Pray for Tom as he travels back to the islands— his itinerary is long. Pray that he would make all his connections and stay healthy (he’s been battling a cold).  Times are hard for many islanders— pray that intense weather wouldn’t destroy any more crops, that salaries would be paid and that shipments to the islands would arrive to help relieve suffering. Pray for our team as we get used to being a team of three adults.

Many Hats

 I’m not sure where the saying ‘wearing lots of hats’ comes from, but the saying came to new life for me one day when I was traveling and I saw a man with literally lots of hats on his head. It was bizarre. There was this man walking through the airport with a stack of around 10 hats. Soon I could understand the probable circumstances. He was probably going to sell the hats and didn’t want them crushed so instead of packing them, he wore them. This theory seemed to be supported by the fact that all the hats were brand-new and they were all women’s hats and didn’t seem to match the older man’s style otherwise.

Man wearing many hats

We wear lots of different hats in our lives— each representing a different role that we have— we’re parents, we’re homeschool teachers, we’re team leaders for our team, we’re unit leaders over all the island teams, we’re English teachers, we’re friends, we’re mentors… With each role, we have different goals and priorities and tasks. Combining them together it can be confusing.

One of our teammates mentioned that it is sometimes hard to know which ‘hat’ we are wearing at any given time, since we function as both a team leader and the unit leader to our team. For every other team on the island those two roles are distinct people, but for our team it’s only us. And it is true that some things we communicate because we are wearing our team leader hat, other times it is the unit leader talking to the team (whether they know it or not).

Another situation is with our youngest son and homeschool. Sometimes it is harder for him to accept us in our role as teacher because we are also his parents. We see the respect he gives to the opinion and instructions of his local school teacher, when he will often challenge or question ours.  It is hard to separate our different roles with him.

Preparing to help us de-ice the freezer

There is also our good friend Ma Nadjma, with whom we long to have real and meaningful conversations. But we are also her boss (she helps us with laundry and chores), so we find that our friendship with her is always mixed with this power dynamic that means that she will always agree with anything we say instead of truly thinking about and interacting with the things we say.  While we see her as a friend, I don’t think we can ever fully take the ‘boss hat’ off with her.

Sometimes our hats fit together well and it doesn’t matter that we are wearing multiple hats because the priorities are aligned and the decisions that we would make are the same in the different roles. But other times, they are in conflict. The parent wants our son to be able to relax and play after local school, the homeschool teacher knows he needs to get things done.  Ma Nadjma can perhaps be honest and open with a friend, but with a boss she feels the need to be careful and respect them by agreeing with them.

Then I look at our relationship with God— we are children-servants-sheep-brides before our Father-King-Shepherd-Bridegroom. Perhaps it is actually more common than not to wear more than one hat in our relationships with others. Most relationships end up being complicated and multi-faceted given time. Maybe that’s just what makes each relationship rich and unique.

Tom has to don winter hat (in colder country for conference)

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Megan was able to go to the plateau and do a day of language study with our medical team there. We are thankful that her back has bounced back well after the long day of taxi-bus rides. Tom made the same-day connection on the big island is safely in mainland Africa attending a conference with other leaders. There hasn’t been any more unrest on the islands. . Muki has come with stories of having needs, praying and seeing immediate answers which have greatly encouraged him (and us!).

PRAYERS REQUESTED
There has been a number of illnesses making the rounds on the islands. Both of our teammates were ill this past week and are thankfully doing better. Pray especially that our one teammate would recover completely as she is in her last week on the islands. Pray that she would have good times saying goodbyes— may she share lots of truth in her final visits. We have also heard that some people from mainland Africa brought cholera to the islands. They have been quarantined, so hopefully it won’t spread, but the government is encouraging good sanitation.  Pray that there would be protection from further illness and healing for those who are sick. Pray for Megan and our youngest as they are alone for the next week. Pray for Tom’s leadership meetings and for his travels to visit our kids for the boarding school midterm break before he returns to the islands. There is a religious holiday on the islands on Thursday— pray that it would provide opportunities for us to share truth.