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.