The power has been on for nearly 36 hours now, with only a 15 minute gap this morning around 8. That is an amazingly encouraging experience. Fans work. Computers work. Lights work. Life is good.
Often during this last week I found myself just completely fed up with the situation. That inner conversation that is always going on descended into the region of “Lord, what am I doing here? Can’t you just send me back to the US? I’m so tired of being hot and being unable to connect to the net and …” Only it wasn’t just whining. It was more solid than that.
Now, I did keep going and I didn’t give in to this sentiment. But it kept coming back.
Then yesterday I heard something that made me analyze this feeling more closely. I was with our UWM team. (Or at least those who were available. The Dutts and Alex. Paul is in France for a French language intensive. Kate was with Emma at the doctor. Jane was teaching. The Oliveiras gave up on getting in to Dakar because of the heavy rain out in Thiès. ) As we shared prayer requests, Rodney reminded us that there is more going on in our discouragements than just power cuts and heat and traffic problems. It is Ramadan. We have seen through the years that this month brings more than its share of emotional and spiritual stresses. Because I grew up in a solidly materialistic culture where spirits were imaginary superstitions, I am often blind to the real universe in which I live.
And that reminder about the nature of my experience was surprisingly helpful and encouraging. “Oh, yeah. Just my enemy trying to get me down. Just Psy-Ops stuff.”
Still, we’d appreciate your prayers.
