The road is dark and stretching ahead, as the driver winds in and out of the chaos in the road. I have decided that driving in these parts is an art form. Our van drives at top speed weaving around trikes, motorcyles, people, and bikes. The roads are skinny and the two lanes might as well be one as we are all over the road. Many of the other drivers on the road don’t have lights so often they are not visible until we are upon them. Drivers will pass each other without worry for the oncoming traffic. Despite the intensity of the situation, I am at peace and thinking about the day…..
Ashley and I went with an Uplift team to a mountain village today called Caigangam where the income comes from
sugercane and coconuts. The drive time: 2.5 hours. Though we didn’t feel very useful today, we were able to really look at the culture here and take in what village life is like. We also realize how much they appreciate us being in there home, there town. Though we are stared at and they may want to take our picture (at least those who have a camara phone), it’s almost refreshing to be the minority. How many white people have these kids really seen? The Pastor’s family asked us and the ICM staff to eat lunch in their house (dark, dirt floors, etc). The menu: fried whole fish (head and eyes were consumed), rice, and fresh coconut water.
We were able to get a couple testimonies (a goal of ours for the month), one being from a lady who had escaped a cult 12 years ago. Witchcraft is big here and she had practiced it for 4 years.
The cult believes in the same God as Christians but they also believe in power. The ‘master’ who is the leader is in charge. He sends groups out to fight for their cult in a type of holy war and he baptizes people by cutting their arm seven times. The ‘master’ treats any member who is sick as they aren’t allowed to see a doctor. When their son got sick, her husband found a pastor who prayed for the boy (he was healed) and the Pastor started a fellowship with the husband. She eventually also connected with women from the church. The Pastor recognized the anger and darkness in her and he helped to rebuke the evil inside. She gave her life completely to the Lord….and it’s amazing the pure joy radiating from her face and from her eyes. (we learned this via an interpreter whose english was ‘okay’)
It always amazes me what people in places like this have to do, to get something as simple as water. There was a well pump by the church and many would hike to it to get their water (water we could not drink). One little girl of around 9 pumped the water various times and did a huge load of laundry. Her little arms carried the load back to her home.
Another little girl showered there. The one that really struck me was an older lady of around 75-85….maybe. She had long gray hair, no teeth, and a very slender body. She hiked up the hill with two nice size water jugs (maybe 2 plus gallons each), filled them up, and carried them back down the hill. This is their life. Do they complain? Probably not, as it is all they know…..they don’t know much about the Western way of living.
Before leaving, the family asked us to eat a snack with them: Fried Sweet Potatoes and Banana’s coated in sugar; and a drink of sorts made with coconut, jackfruit, and sweet evaporated milk. I developed a severe headache from the dairy (I am allergic).
The day was long, we were hot and tired and we knew we had a long drive home. After we picked up the other team in a fishing village, we were on our way….
Then the stops started. The staff stopped for 30 minutes to buy fish, and then another 15 to buy something else, and then at a gas station to use the toilet, and then a fruit stand….etc… You can imagine the irritation that started to creep in…..and then I realized how selfish that is of me.
It hit me as we careened down the dark road and I saw the masses of people walking home from work. They were alone, with their families, or in groups; trudging down the dirt road. It was hard to tell what they had with them: fish, wood, etc. I saw a group of boys, probably 8 or 9 working hard to push a big wooden cart up the hill. They were dirty, possibly barefoot, and tired looking. Were they headed for home to eat dinner? Did they have a home or a dinner? Was the cart full of their small bounty for the day? How far did they have to walk? There was no joy on their faces..
We finally arrived back ‘home’ close to 8:00 PM…..the rest of the teams had been there for close to 3.5 hours. We ate dinner, chatted, showered, watched a movie, and went to bed. We had food, joy, running water, electricity, real beds with real sheets, and shelter. Was the inconvenience of a 2.5 hour ride that turned into a 3 hour ride really that big of a deal? No.
“….I will brighten the the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead of them. Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:16
