Frustration comes and goes. It doesn't matter where you live or how old you are. You cannot escape frustration.
I try not to post too much about the things that frustrate me while living in Malawi. I am truly grateful for what the Lord has given to us, including the opportunity to serve here at ABC. I am thankful for the culture and the many things it has taught me. I love the community we have here and our friends we have been blessed with. I could go on and on about how much I do love this country and our tiny little lives here.
BUT-I am frustrated!
Lately, we have been having security problems on campus, mostly due to the lack of electricity. We do have night guards, but as you can imagine, it's difficult for them to keep awake all night. In order to scare off some local thieves, our neighbor has been shooting off a rifle at 4am, because some things have been stolen from people's back porches over the past few weeks. Well, I didn't know our neighbor had this plan to scare off the thieves. I of course was terrified the first night I heard the shots. The second night, I was able to calm my racing heart in a matter of minutes, reminding myself it was just my neighbor. It's been a tough week, trying not to be fearful.
Today, we visited Rev. Max Joy (that post will come soon, I promise) with Bech and Marley. We were gone all day, as the church service is 3 hours long and the drive is also long. When we were just about to leave the village, we got a call from another ABC neighbor who told us Dan's bike had been stollen this morning. Hmm...ok. Dan's bike is probably one of his favorite things here in Malawi. It is his hobby and he loves riding up and down campus early in the morning before school. It was also worth a lot of money, and we were hoping to make that money back by selling it before we left. Honestly, when I looked at that bike, I saw a couch. A couch that we would be able to buy once back in America with the money in hand from selling the bike.
Dan keeps his bike locked up on our back porch. The picture below shows where he kept it locked up. There is a black bar on the top section of the brick pillar. There used to be another black bar on the bottom, but the thieves tore it off somehow to get the bike.
Today, we visited Rev. Max Joy (that post will come soon, I promise) with Bech and Marley. We were gone all day, as the church service is 3 hours long and the drive is also long. When we were just about to leave the village, we got a call from another ABC neighbor who told us Dan's bike had been stollen this morning. Hmm...ok. Dan's bike is probably one of his favorite things here in Malawi. It is his hobby and he loves riding up and down campus early in the morning before school. It was also worth a lot of money, and we were hoping to make that money back by selling it before we left. Honestly, when I looked at that bike, I saw a couch. A couch that we would be able to buy once back in America with the money in hand from selling the bike.
Dan keeps his bike locked up on our back porch. The picture below shows where he kept it locked up. There is a black bar on the top section of the brick pillar. There used to be another black bar on the bottom, but the thieves tore it off somehow to get the bike.
This is our wall that is being hopped over in the middle of the night. It's about 6 feet high.
Please pray for our safety and that we will be able to sleep at night, but most of all, pray for our attitudes. Mine is pretty rotton right now. I was really looking forward to buying our first decent couch with the money from selling the bike. I know that is a stupid thing to be frustrated about, but I am. I'm pretty sure it's another lesson on consumerism and how I obsess too much about material things. Obviously, I haven't really learned this lesson yet. God is gracious in keeping us safe, but also building our faith by challenging the things we put our confidence in.
A happy weekend post is coming soon, I promise.
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