African Time

Blogging is hard.  Especially when it takes at least an hour to download photos and you have to stand in the middle of the road holding your laptop up to do so.  I have been trying to wait and post when we have wifi installed, but I also now understand the meaning of “African time” and realize that may not happen for a while, if ever, during my stay here.  So this is my weekend recap:

Friday afternoon, we went to the village where Jamee and Kailyn lived for a month.  Living at New Day is not “roughing it” at all compared to life in the village.  First, we had to fill up buckets of water at the pump and carry them in the wheelbarrow back to the house (a one-room brick building with a tiny bathroom) so we would be able to flush the toilet.  Talk about an arm workout.  After that we took a break and went to sit by the river.  It hasn’t had water in it due to the drought, but with all the rain we have had lately it was full.  We weren’t the only ones with that idea so as we sat in the sun, people kept coming to wash clothes and bathe in the river.  

Jamee and Kailyn's house in the village 

Mal pumping water at the well

At the river 

              We then went to the church where Priscilla (Kailyn and Jamee’s African “mom”) was working with some other women.  They were digging up dirt and using it to flatten the floor inside the church.  Those women are STRONG.  One of them, Margaret, used to be a housemother at New Day and spoke English well so we talked to her a good bit.  She told us that life was so much easier now that “white people shared things with black people in Africa.”  She was so grateful for missionaries and the supplies they brought with them, as well as their knowledge.  I was speechless because, while I am sure life is easier compared to her mother’s (who had to make tops out of pounded tree bark and grass skirts), it is still SO much harder than the life we are used to in America.  Margaret was so thankful for the clothes on her back, despite them being too worn for wear by American standards.  It was a very eye-opening and humbling conversation.

The new village church - Margaret is on the right 

Flattening the floor of the church 

Priscilla on the left carrying a large log home

            After hanging out with the women at the church for a long time (everything runs MUCH slower on “African time”) we headed back to Priscilla’s for dinner.  It took nearly two hours to make everything since it was all cooked over the same small fire.  She roasted maize at the base while cooking on the skillet.  It was fascinating to watch and we cut foods to help.  She made a big pot of white rice first and then green beans cooked in oil with eggs.  She then heated up an African version of Vienna sausages and made a sauce with diced tomato, onion, water, and curry powder.   While doing this, she would check the maize and rotate it with her bare hands.  In fact, she did everything with her bare hands: holding the skillet, grabbing the hot pot lid, etc.  It’s amazing how tough these women are, not to mention patient.  I love to cook, but I’m all about fast, easy meals. Side note: There is no electricity in the village so we used solar powered flashlights.  It’s funny to see the stark contrast of primitive life with modern technology.  Once dinner was prepared, we ate with Priscilla, her husband Maxwell, and their children, Blu and Stacy in their home.  We prayed and ate to our hearts content.  We mixed all the different foods together over rice and it was delicious.  Maxwell shared his story of how he came to know Christ and Mallory shared hers with him as well.  We talked, prayed again, and headed to our house next door for bed.  I was so worn out from the day that I immediately drifted off, but woke up later to rain pounding the tin roof.  It may be a very slow-paced life in the village, but it is also so simple and serene.

Jamee and Kailyn helping with dinner 

            Saturday morning, it was pouring rain, so the four of us slept in and got off to a late start.  We all had a peaceful quiet time, with rain hitting the roof and water warming on the brazier to make coffee and oatmeal.  As the rain died down and we got ready to head out, we listened to “Clear the Stage” by Jimmy Needham on repeat.  Inspired, we each shared the biggest idol in our life and prayed for God to help us overcome them.  I will definitely be downloading that song as soon as I get home.

            Once ready, we began the muddy trek to Saint Mark’s Secondary School (High School) to watch the track meet.  The walk was long and very slippery, but we met Jane along the way and I talked to her about her work in Zambia.  Like I said in a previous post, she is here with the Peace Corps working in a health clinic, which we passed on our walk.  She is mainly working with mothers and infants concerning HIV and informing them as well as the younger generation how it is spread and how to prevent it.  I would go into more detail, but I also hope to go help her in the clinic one day while I am here so I will be much more descriptive then.

Spectators in the rain 

            The “track” was really just a soccer field with lines drawn in the dirt around it.  A lot of people had come to the competition, despite the rainfall.  It was unlike any sporting event I have ever been to.  All of the kids ran as fast as they could in a wide-range of clothes, most being barefoot, in the mud.  What it lacked in structure, it made up for in intensity and enthusiasm.  We had a lot of fun, but were all wet and tired by the end.  We were also concerned that if we stayed in the village that night like we had planned, we would be stranded there until the river lowered enough to cross the bridge back to New Day.  Fortunately, Papa Wes was willing to pick us up.  We swung by the house, grabbing our necessities and leaving the rest behind, and rushed back to New Day since time was of the essence if we wanted to cross the bridge safely.  Water was already up to the base of the truck when we went over it.  Despite the rain, some kids still made it to New Day for Kids Club and we spent the rest of the afternoon playing and eating Nshima, beans, and cabbage with them.

One of many pictures from the track meet 

            Sunday after church, we relaxed the rest of the day.  There was no power, so we spread out on the cool floor while Jamee read Redeeming Love to us (we finally finished it!).  That night, we went over to Wes and Laurie’s for American Fellowship.  English worship and American Fellowship are switched out each Sunday.  For American fellowship, all the Americans at New Day each prepare a dish and meet at someone’s house for food and games.  Everyone still managed to make his or her meal without power (Mal and I made deviled eggs since they are Blu’s favorite) and we enjoyed some awesome “American” comfort foods like pizza, enchiladas, and homemade ice cream.  After talking and playing hedbandz, the power finally came on and we went back to the ark to watch a movie and go to bed.  It was a fun weekend, simultaneously slow and busy, but I guess that’s what life is like on “African Time.”

Holding a baby boy while his mama worked on the church