The Little Things That Could...

Do you ever ask yourself, "What is the main thing here? When it's all said and done, what really matters?"

Maybe you haven't put it into those exact words, but deep within us our hearts long to know that we really made a difference, somehow, somewhere - to somebody.

Well, the good news is God wants you to make a difference, too. And sometimes the steps we have to take are just little ones...

Jeremiah the prophet was giving one of Israel's kings a talking to, letting him know that God wasn't too happy with his performance to date. He reminded this king that his father, King Josiah, had done a lot better job in his day of pleasing God. Here is what he said:

"Did not your father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him.

He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well.

Was not this knowing Me?" says the Lord. (Jeremiah 22:15, 16)

"Was not this knowing Me?" Are the poor and needy really the big thing with God?

The Lord places a lot of importance on helping the poor and needy. It's right up there with justice and righteousness.

In the end, it's the little things that really matter. A word of encouragement to someone losing hope; a hot meal to someone lacking resources and self-respect; a pair of new shoes to someone who has worn theirs out trying to survive the daily grind of life.

Sometime little things don't seem to go very far...at first.

This fellow was perched on a large rock outside my window yesterday morning. I took a lot of photos, and it was easy because he didn't move much.

But when I looked out the window an hour later, he was gone.

Try a simple act of kindness; sacrifice something even if you don't think it will make a huge difference to the cosmos as a whole. The truth is, you just don't know how far it will go. The truth is, God does.

Even just a cup of cold water matters...because it's like He says: "This is knowing Me."

The elephant in the room...

Ever hear that expression, about the elephant in the room that we never talk about? It refers to a problem or an issue that is really obvious to all, but somehow we just never deal with it. Perhaps we hope that if we ignore it long enough it will go away.

Nice thought...

In keeping with the theme of this blog, maybe God has been speaking to you about some elephants that need attention; personal pacaderms that you've been blissfully shutting an eye to.

Perhaps He's been telling you that your shoes have been a little too clean lately...or maybe that they've never even been taken out of the box.

There are many ways to dirty your shoes...from visiting someone in the  hospital (even though you've got a really busy day already), to serving the underpriviledged in another part of the world.

You see, it's not really how far you go; it's that you go at all.

Those elephants will play on your mind.

They drive you crazy with nagging thoughts that your life could be much more than it currently is; that the great adventure is happening without you and that it's really nobody's fault but your own...

Take a hint from a fellow traveler...elephants only leave when you stare them in the eye. Just give them "the look", bend down and lace up your shoes...and then go.

I guarantee that something in the room will change.

And don't forget to check your rearview mirror...

I think you'll like what you see.

There and back again...

If you enjoy the writings of Bilbo Baggins (as I do), then you'll know that journeys can contain many adventures...and such was the case this past weekend.

My niece Keren needed to leave and re-enter Mozambique for visa puposes...much too long of a tale to go into right now. But Laura and I elected to accompany her on a road trip north to Malawai for two nights, and that's when the fun began. Pack three wazungus (i.e. white folk) into a Toyoto mini-van and let them loose on Afrian roads and border crossings, and just about anything can happen.

Rule #1: Leave early in the morning. You never know what will come up, and it will always take longer than you think. For the initial trip out, it was sections of road under repair and suspension bridges crumbling apart under our tires (or so it seemed).

Rule #2: Bring lots of money. You'll need it to pay the visa fees, customs fees, import duties (for your car), extra insurance fees, to pay the kid to watch your vehicle while you go in and pay all these fees...

 

...and finally, the bribes to the well-fed policeman at the roadside check point (sorry, didn't want to chance taking his picture...).

Rule #3: Have a good destination in mind. For us, it was the Fisherman's Rest Guesthouse near Blantyre. Wonderful accomodation overlooking the great Rift Valley, fantastic food, amazing hosts, and the cutest lap dog named Tippy.

What exactly does he do all day...?

Well, as promised, here is a look at some of the things I've been working on. You've already heard a lot about the wiring issues with the Isuzu truck (I now have parts ordered to fix the steering, driveshafts, and air conditioning), but today we worked on Nurse Keren's motorcycle (nicknamed The General), and also a small generator owned by another missionary.

By "we" I mean Thomas, Tome, and Jacob, three men who work here and decided that it might be fun to watch a white guy work a bit, and maybe pick up a mechanicial tip or two...

Tome is really the main guy in charge of things mechanical, and here he is changing the oil on the main generator that supplies all the power to the farm.

That's all for now, folks...the power is about to go off.

Singing in the rain...

Okay, maybe not singing, but we did go for a hike.

The rains, although late, have arrived and while they are appreciated for growing food, they do interfere with things like building projects and doing laundry! But Sunday came with a few sunny moments, so Keren, Laura, Jeff, and I went for a walk down to the nearby river that runs through the farm. As you can see the waters have risen to a respectable level.

This rather large fellow was perched on a rock as we climbed down the bank towards the river (his shell is larger than my hand). Intimidating, but harmless. I was more concerned about meeting a snake or two under the moss-covered rocks. Fortunately that didn't happen.

Below are some Monday morning photos looking out my door at the house where I'm staying. Dwight and Lynn Lagore have been such gracious hosts.

In the next post I'll give you an update on the vehicle repairs that I've overseeing (and taking part in, of course). I do keep busy, just in case anyone is wondering...:)

So goodbye for now from the happy wanderers.

School visit with Lola and Luisa

Yesterday Keren (aka Luisa) and Laura (Lola) climbed on The General and headed out to the ASAM interior primary school to observe the health class and to serve lunch. Keren had a special interest in the visit, as the school was using for the first time the health cuirriculum she created. By all reports, the visit went well...

Lots of interest by the students...

...and lunchtime was an even bigger hit.

Then they all had to try on Laura's aviators...

A special moment came as they delivered an Olympic t-shirt to Paolo, sent over by "Auntie Pat", aka Nurse Keren's mom, Pat Massey.

Paolo has ongoing problems with mysterious infections that Keren has been treating him for. Please pray that he will heal completely.

So it's time to head back to the farm...Laura waits for her ride...

...which turns out to be very wet, thanks to a sudden rain shower. But at least they made it back safely!

Down to the wire(s)...

It's been an intersting two days of working on this 2001 Isuzu pickup. The more I look, the more burnt or broken wires that I find.

A melted fuse panel, the result of someone using a solid piece of wire to replace a fuse...not a good idea.

So far I've been able to repair the power windows (it's nice to be able to open your window on a hot  African day...), get the automatic door locks to operate ONLY when they're supposed to (as in NOT unlocking when you're walking away from the vehicle), and the rear taillights now work like they're supposed to.

Next on the list is to get the air conditioning and fan to work...oh yes, and to get both wiper blades to move at the same time.

There must be a moral to this story...like maybe the right fuse in the right place saves an entire wiring harness...but that doesn't sound very profound.

Maybe it's just a reminder that nothing lasts forever, although a little maintenance will certainly help.

Tomorrow I think I'll tighten the loose horn on Nurse Keren's motorcycle...I could use the change in scenery...