Who gets preference?

There was a big clump of people outside the bakery gate. Many of them had their hands stuck through the bars waving their money and hoping the guy distributing bread would choose them. There wasn’t going to be enough bread to go around. Everyone might get some eventually, but they may have to wait for another batch to go into the oven and in the end, some probably wouldn’t get as much as they were hoping. Flour was short and so the amount of bread being made wasn’t meeting the demand. If you wanted bread, you had to join the group at the bakery because they would sell out right as the bread is came out of the oven.

Island bread

So the question is: how does the bakery guy choose who gets bread?

If there was enough bread to go around, then it would be more-or-less first-come, first-served. But when there are shortages then it isn’t so simple. There are several factors that can get you preferential treatment. As a foreigner I’m usually given some preference. A lady comes complaining of a headache and being ill, so she is given a prized seat within the bakery itself. A young child comes carrying a bag and money, sent by his family to buy bread and the small crowd parts to let him through. Some women talk loudly about their children at home. One young man is carrying a baby and makes a point of saying that the baby is hungry. People that know the bakery worker make sure to call out his name to personally get his attention. If an older person or a person of high-standing in the community had come, then they would have been given some preference (or even someone sent by a powerful person could probably name drop and get some bread).

Sometimes, for holidays we make our own bread.  

So being a foreigner, being ill or handicapped, young children, a personal connection, age and status all seemed to help your case. I’m not sure what the relative strength of these claims have— if it came down to one loaf of bread and only an old person and a child, who wins? Sometimes it seemed like people in the crowd helped the worker decide— they would point out the child or the sick lady and tell him to serve them next.

But it also felt like most people in the crowd were looking for an angle that might help them get bread. One of my friends gave me a mischievous grin and then loudly proclaimed that she didn’t think that she could make it much longer in the noontime heat! A cynical part of me wonders... did that young man bring the baby just to improve his chances? A healthy young man has very little claim to preferential treatment on the islands, but with a baby in his arms his odds improve. And what about that little boy? Was this little 5 yr old really the only one able to come and buy bread from his household or did they know that he was the family’s best shot?

A bread and nutella creation!

One day, I wondered if it was only the first batches of bread that sold out. Perhaps if I waited long enough there would eventually be an excess and I could buy more than the per person limit they had in place. So I waited around for awhile to see, but there was no excess. When they got to the final batch and it was obvious that some would go home empty-handed, most of the people with special claims to preference were gone. In those final moments, people pointed out how long they had been waiting, or pointed out that they had exact change or that they only wanted one baguette! Or they just tried to be the closest to push their money into the bakery guy’s hand. Whatever they could do to give them the edge to get some bread!

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We are so grateful for all the blessings and answered prayers in 2022, we look forward to 2023 and all the examples of God’s goodness that we will witness. We are thankful that the flour/bread shortage ended and we no longer have to wait in a crowd for bread. We are thankful that Megan and our daughter made it safely to Kenya (even making a same-day connection!) to take our daughter back to school. We have a new island sister! Pray for her growth in understanding and for a changed life. Pray also for her loved ones that she wants to hear and understand as well. Thankfully our colleague on the big island that had retina surgery is back home with her family. Our teammates had a good time of prayer and found a ride home even though rains made getting home more difficult.

Christmas time is hot, so it's become a post-Christmas tradition to go to the beach or river.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Our friend Ma Imani on the big island newly finds herself in a position of leadership— pray for wisdom and grace for her as she seeks to be a light in darkness and as she deals with a history of jealousy and unhealthy community. Pray for unity and healing. Pray also for guidance for her as she had been talking about returning to Clove Island. Pray for Tom and the boys as they tackle restarting homeschool and cooking without Megan this week. Pray for our daughter’s transition back to boarding school, especially as she doesn’t have a roommate this term and her class schedule had to change. Pray for Megan as she gets an MRI of her back in Kenya…may it reveal divine healing! We have several colleague families in major transition. Pray for smooth logistics, adaptable kids and good transitions for all.