Why is the Electricity so good these days?

 When we were away from the islands last month we were told that electricity had gotten really bad.  We had even read an island article that said it wouldn’t be until mid-July or later for the needed parts to come to fix the malfunctioning generators, but since our return, the power has been particularly good!  Over lunch the other day, we enjoyed speculating all the possible reasons for the recent improvement.

 Our first reason was a joke —Perhaps the electricity company heard we were coming back and made sure things were working better!  A nice thought, except that we do not carry the notoriety, fame, importance or clout to bring such a thing about.  However, we have noticed that when the president comes to town, electricity generally improves for as long as he is around.  So it is not unheard of for electricity to improve due to the arrival of important visitors.

Cloves drying in sun here on 'Clove' Island

Our next thought was on the same theme.  The summer months are the time of year when all the island diaspora that lives in Europe and other places comes back to the islands for vacation.  Could it be they are keeping the power on for all the visitors?  Does that mean instead of rationing the fuel used to run the generators, they are using it up and when the visitors leave, power will be terrible again?  Perhaps.

On the otherhand, the summer visitors come with lots of money.  Perhaps electricity bills are finally being paid and they are using the money for extra fuel.  Is it simply a matter of money greasing the wheels???

That got us onto another possible reason.  The season of summer visitors coincides (quite deliberately)  with the wedding season.   There are multiple weddings every day once things get going, and people pay extra to make sure the power stays on.  Do we benefit from this demand for power?

Then a more mundane answer crossed our mind: Perhaps they simply fixed the generators earlier than expected, and they are running smoothly right now.  Such ideas almost sounds preposterous, but not impossible.  Still the idea of things just running smoothly here seem to be a rarity.

And then another explanation struck us—maybe demand is down.  The weather is significantly cooler this time of year.  Air-conditioners and fans are hardly necessary and many may have been turned off.  Could it simply be that thanks to fewer demands, the system is able to meet the needs?

And then to bring it full circle, we had asked for prayer that power would get better on the islands.  We know there are some real prayer warriors among you.  Perhaps some of you started praying…

Working on homeschool project!

We will probably never know the reason, but whatever the reason, we are thankful for these days of good power.  You may live in a place where you take electricity for granted.  Next time you flip a switch or grab something from your consistently cold fridge, you can say a small prayer of thanks, and think of all the things that help cause your electricity to run smoothly.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We are thankful for better electricity! A short-term medical team had a successful trip to the small island with lots of islanders being seen and being intentionally told good news.  Tom was able to meet and study with an island brother who was recently deported from the French Island— while he hopes to return to his wife and kids on the French Island, we’re hopeful that his temporary presence could have a positive impact on his extended family here. 

PRAYERS REQUESTED
An island sister on the plateau just lost a brother at sea (one passenger among two boatfuls that are presumed drowned).  Pray for her family as they grieve and that she might be able to be a light to those without hope. The monthly women’s gathering that should be this week is being pushed back a week because so many of the island sisters aren’t around. Pray that in the midst of increased travels during July/August that gatherings of brothers and sisters would still happen. Pray for the follow-up with those islanders who expressed interest in learning more during the medical team’s trip on the small island.  Pray for our kids as they have just two weeks left of school and have many projects, presentations and exams to get through. Pray that they wouldn’t be troubled with stress and anxiety. Our teammate has only two weeks before she heads back to her home country for some months— pray that she would be able finish up well and have good interactions with island friends and neighbors as she says goodbye. There have been so many mosquitoes around lately (the worst we’ve ever seen). Pray for them to decrease and for protection from mosquito born illnesses going around (primarily dengue and chikungunya).