They say…
…that the 15th of August ends the cold season and starts the hot season. This year that day was pivotal. It indeed was a lot hotter on the 15th than the 14th and has remained so.
…that they’ll come. But they don’t come. How do we learn how to ask questions that will get the truth and not the words we want to hear?
…9 o’clock promptly and then don’t show up until after 9:30. How are we to teach Sunday School when they don’t come on time then complain that church goes too long (forgetting that if they’d come on time, church would end earlier)?
…that if we create the sewing project the CCM Women’s group will be full of women coming to learn how to sew. The project officially began in February and during the past two months, they’ve been regularly meeting. But it’s not full. It’s only the same 5 women who came other times. Even the leadership doesn’t regularly come.
…that they’ll teach each other how to sew. But two weeks ago, they told me that the ones who know how to sew can’t teach the others. So, now I’m giving impromptu lessons (thanks, Mom, for teaching me to sew during those hot, sticky Pennsylvania summers) and when my Mom comes this week we’ll teach together. What do I believe? How do I push them to step up and teach each other what they do know?
…that it’s a bad year because April’s harvest was scarce. I see plenty of food in the markets, but I know that not everyone is able to purchase the fresh vegetables. And more importantly, because the corn harvest was ruined by too much rain, people have to purchase their most basic grain to make shima (corn meal mush) before even purchasing caril (the sauce they put on top of the shima). Not everyone can afford both, so they opt for shima because it fills their bellies.
…that there are bands of robbers roaming the streets of Gondola. Normally there is more thievery around the holiday season when people are celebrating and others are experiencing the hungry season. This year the hungry season is starting earlier because of the harvest. Our neighbors are talking about going in together to pay for a night guard because several marauding bands have walked through our courtyard (not properly fenced) and peeped in our neighbors windows, assessed our car parked outside and left. We continue to pray for protection.
…that funds are coming for a pilot sand dam project in Tete province to the north. I am still waiting and so are the communities and our partner.
…that public water is coming to our house. We are still waiting for it to arrive on our street.
…that the plumber will come to connect the pipes to our house. We are still waiting.
…the government is campaigning to stop burning the fields as it is bad for the fertility of the soil and the environment. Everyone you ask tells you it is bad to burn the fields and other people who are not as smart as they are the ones that burn. But the sun sets at 5:00 behind a haze of smoke in the middle of the sky. My eyes are burning from the smoke.
…they say they could not make it to church. It was the devil they said. If we follow Jesus why are we still listening to the devil?
…it’s a hungry year. But people are still dancing in the church.
…that God does not work anymore. But the church once frustrated and stopped is moving. People are rejoicing. Lives are changed. Fields are blossoming with vegetables. Our hearts are at peace.