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Two themes have surfaced for me this Christmas, waiting and creating….waiting, because we continue to wait for rain with longing, and expectancy; and creating, because we have had to create everything with simple materials and yet we have found joy in so doing.
My (Jo’s) parents arrived on Dec.13th, the day after Patrick broke his wrist, falling from a zipline at the home of new friends, the Harrisons. Dr. Harrison is an orthopedic surgeon and was able to pop Patrick’s wrist back in place and put the plaster on for us. Thank God for new friends. The Harrison’s were also kind enough to lend us their house for a few days so that we could explore Blantyre a bit more. We took mum and dad down to Bangula straight away in a rented Venture. As we had just come down the mountain, the temperature climbing all the way, and come through a largish village called Chikwawa, our rear wheel came right off. Mo managed to keep us upright and bring the vehicle to a stop. Moments earlier and we would have been in the middle of a busy market place. One pedestrian jumped out of the way and the wheel rolled down the street and in someone’s front door. Again, no one was hurt. As we unloaded, we soon had a crowd of willing helpers gathered in the blazing sun. Eventually, they got the car jacked up and the wheel replaced, borrowing bolts from each of the other wheels. Very slowly we made our way back to the local police station, where we could leave the truck safely overnight. We called Bangula, and a truck was dispatched to meet us. An hour later mum and dad, the kids and I were bumping along in the Isuzu while Mo and Charles (Mo’s ‘brother’) were settling into the Chikwawa motel, a rather scary establishment. They later walked into the Sukoma sugar plantation, in search of a restaurant. It only took them two hours!! Dinner never tasted so good. A good Samaritan who had stopped when we broke down turned out to be the manager of the club, and he kindly gave them a lift back. |
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So, that was our African welcome for mum and dad. We spent the next few days acclimatizing. Mum said I should include some numbers so you know what I mean by hot. Hot here means 40 inside and 50 plus outside. We don’t move too much at those temperatures, except for Mo who seems to thrive in the heat. We had a week away, three days in Blantyre and then three days at Nkopola Lodge on Lake Malawi. It was good to be out of the heat and away from the constant demands. As we drove north, the crops were further and further advanced, evidence of the rain we wait for. Lake Malawi is so beautiful, surrounded by mountains. We stayed in nice rondavels, and went between the lake and the pool, according to the heat. The sand was too hot to stand on at times. Mo and the boys sailed. We all enjoyed watching the monkeys and the fish eagles. On Christmas Eve, as the hotel began to get busy, we drove south again. We stopped at Sukoma Club on the way back so the kids could swim. There we saw our first crocodile in the Shire River. We have applied to become members at the club and are hopeful that it will be a good retreat from us. It is only an hour from Bangula. Christmas Eve found us back in Bangula, hastily wrapping a few presents, and trying to find enough things to fill a stocking. Thankfully, mum and dad had brought plenty to make the kids happy. I had made some Christmas decorations from a foil pie plate, and together we had made a nativity scene out of modeling clay. An umbrella made a great Christmas tree. |
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Christmas Day started bright and early as the kids were up opening their stockings. I started the cinnamon buns at 5 a.m., and Mo took over when he got up. They take longer without the bread maker! I made pancakes for our breakfast because the cinnamon buns were still rising. |
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Mum read hours of stories to the boys. They are particularly into ‘Famous Five’ books right now, although they also enjoyed parts of ‘the Lord of the Rings’ read by Grandad. They also memorized a funny poem about smashing plates, and other such things that ‘Bilbo Baggins hates….So carefully, carefully with the plates.’ Mum and dad also brought with them our school curriculum from South Africa. All three kids have been anxious to get into them….This is a really good sign! |
Unfortunately, we did not get to either the Christmas or the New Year all night services. It is clear that we are still adjusting, and cannot yet go without sleep. I enjoyed singing Christmas carols in the car and as I put the kids to bed each night but missed the Christmas services at Chartwell very much. It was good to have two families with us on Christmas evening, the family of one of our guards, and Salani and his family. We enjoyed rice (only slightly flavoured with charcoal), and curried potato (shades of Trinidad), and beef stew. It wasn’t turkey, but we enjoyed it all the same. We had delicious fresh pineapple for desert.
As I look out at the parched land, and up at the blue skies void of clouds, I long for rain. Is that how the Jews longed for the Messiah? I keep thinking of Ps.63.
“O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.”
A ‘dry and weary’ land is brown and cracked, lacking life. It is dormant, waiting for water, inhospitable to any vegetable we have planted. We need to be like ‘trees planted by streams of water.’ I pray with Moses: “Let our teaching fall like rain and our words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.” We wait, with our new friends here, for rain to fall on the ground, yes, but also on the hearts of the people. Our hearts are also in need of rain, of growing, of teaching…so we must go deeper, sinking our roots into the ‘living water’, drinking ever more deeply. Pray that we will be faithful in coming to the well.
And so, the theme of ‘waiting’ seemed appropriate to me. The Jews awaited their Messiah. They had over 400 prophecies to help them, focus their thoughts, and to remind them of the promise. However, the heavens were also silent for 400 years after Malachi. So they had to wait in faith for the coming of the Messiah, and their faith was counted as righteousness. Our longing for rain is consuming. Each time Kalina says grace she adds: “And I hope the rain comes hard.” We need to be consumed by thoughts of the coming King. We need to make preparations.
I think of Mary and Joseph, looking for a place to stay. They anticipated the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus. They likely had ideas of their own as to where he should be born, what kind of reception he should receive. But, they were creative. They did what they could with what they had – straw and swaddling clothes. God used Shepherds to strengthen their faith, to reassure them, to remind them of his purposes.
Let us create as we wait, in anticipation of the coming King.
-Joanna
