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.