What’s Going On–I’ll tell you, you tell me–What’s Going On?

-Marvin Gaye

Two weeks today! And in these two weeks:

• Deb has made a rich connection with the Chaplain’s Dept at the hospital as she waits for the School of Nursing to process mind-numbing credentialing requirements that include asking Deb to catalogue her nursing classes & Profs from 1982!
• Chuck preparing from scratch in two weeks classes that begin this upcoming week–N.T.-John/Acts and O.T.-Pentateuch/Joshua-II Kings.
• Two weeks boiling water to drink; cooking by flashlight on a burner resting over a large gas-tank during electric outages lasting from 6-24 hours every day but yesterday; meeting humble, faithful expats from around the world volunteering their services as Drs., Medical Interns, & Seminary Instructors.
• Chuck attracting tickled attention of elementary children on their way home from school, yesterday, by, first, just keeping his head down while picking up trash (no village garbage collection; families & orgs burn or pile their garbage in informal collection areas just beyond their boundaries), near the dirt & manure-packed soccer field (goats & cows traverse the field daily). Then, looking up, discovering 50 kids bemused by this mzungu (Chichewa for “white person”), so he retrieved his frisbee and the kids raced for nearly an hour to get to his far-flung throws and take turns throwing a frisbee for the first time in their lives. (Waking up at 2:30am last night, Chuck spent an hour dreaming of a Youth Rally to include his decades-used repertoire of silly songs, relays & challenges, prizes and treats, with an encouraging word of God’s loving-grace.)
• Met two men at the top of a steep hill transporting bags of charcoal on one-speed bicycles. I, being the cyclist that I am, asked to try to advance one of the bikes. Shockingly, the charcoal weighed more than 200lbs, the bike had only two 5/8ths metal posts onto which the rubber pedals are to be mounted, with both front & back wheels wobbling to and fro. “Uh, sorry, I can’t possibly do this. Thank you anyway.” (The man was performing this amazing feat of necessity, balance & stamina, including what I can just imagine was tremendous but customary pain, without having shoes to wear!)
• We received a request from a 30-year-old grounds-keeper to help afford him a flight to America in hopes of becoming a Pharmacist so that he could return to Malawi and provide a better future for his family. As it is, and as it will be without a mini-miracle in his life, he makes just enough for his family to subsist. We told him we cannot commit to this partnership at this time but will prayerfully consider if perhaps God has started something in motion.

Our most sincere gratitude for your interest, encouragement and donations.