Yes I do. I have gas. In fact everything I own has gas. Let me tell you the story….
It all began last Thursday. We rented a van with a trailer on it to drive us the long long way from Johannesburg, South Africa to Zomba, Malawi. (This journey entails driving out of S.A. into Zimbabwe, driving across the entirity of Zimbabwe, through Mozambique, and then a seperate 5 hour bus ride into Zomba.)
The first day of travel we were quite weary of the trailer that was originally attactched to our van. It had 2 tires (the size you would see on a lawn mower) and one of them was flat. As they loaded our bags, we prayed that as we drove through 4 countries that the other tire wouldn’t go out and we wouldn’t lose our bags, or worse.
Of course God provided a new trailer that was completely sound. It was wonderful to have a van to ourselves and not overly crowded. After over 12 hours combined at different border crossings (added to our travel time), and sleeping in the van at the border of Mozambique and Malawi (we got there after 9pm, when the border closes), we were a little tired and a bit grouchy to say the least.
As we woke at 6am to get our passports stamped, we were then asked to unload all of our bags from the trailer to have them checked by customs. It was then that we found out we had gas, and lots of it. I pulled my bag from the trailer that was reeking of diesel. Our hired drivers kept our fuel with our luggage, and the roads out here are not exactly smooth sailing. My rain cover was soaked with diesel fuel, and as I pulled it off I found my bag was also soaked. My sleeping bag, my running shoes, my sleeping pad, even some of my clothes I had just laundered in South Africa all daused. (I thought having our bags rained on for 3 hours during our travel from Swaziland to South Africa was frustrating!)
I had to take a deep breathe and turn away. I was thinking, “It is just stuff, only belongings…and yet they are all the belongings I have. I still have 4 months!! God help me to not care!” As I turned away from my mini-disaster, I immediately noticed a group of about 40 exhausted and sad men all crouching on the ground. They looked abandoned. We asked our driver to find out for us what the problem was. We found out they were all from Somalia and fleeing the war their country is undergoing. Because they have no passports or papers they were being deported. Until that happens, they are stranded at this border crossing between Mozambique and Malawi. No food, no water, no shelter. They looked hopeless. We were able to feed them a small piece of bread each, and tried to work something out to help a few of them get to South Africa. In that moment I realized having gas is not too big of a deal. It stinks, but it does not ruin my life. I had to choose to look at those Somali’s and help them, amidst my problem.
What problem are you currently facing? Who can you help to put it in perspective? You may not meet deported Africans who are starving, but maybe you can have a loving conversation with that co-worker you cannot stand or bake some muffins and leave them on the door step of a neighbor. I still stink, and I am still a little upset about it, but Jesus is helping me put it into perspective!
