Widows Ministry. Every Monday, local widows come to Kedesh for a devotional and food for the week. They receive a bucket of rice and beans, a cup of canola oil, salt, soap and matches.
In previous years I’ve made the New Years resolution to “Read Through the Bible in a Year” only to become frustrated right about now because I was already 10 days behind. Can anyone relate?
I’m pleased to say that is not the case this year. I’ve actually been excited to get in the Word and the same stories I’ve read many times are coming to new life. I’m enjoying putting myself in the place of the person I’m reading about. I find myself asking questions like:
If I were Eve, whom would I talk to after Cain killed Abel- I’d have no girlfriends…
Could I withstand the years of mocking while I built the ark like Noah?
How would I feel if I was Jacob, going in to steal Esau’s birthright?
If I were Leah, how would I survive a marriage where I wasn’t loved?
Could I eat the same food for 40 years like the Israelites?
As I finished Genesis and moved into Exodus, I was shocked as the Lord gave me opportunities to empathize with the Egyptians. I love my time at Kedesh, but it’s not always pretty…
Plague 1: Water Turned to Blood
Okay, so we don’t have blood but since the heavy rains, all our water has turned a muddy brown. No longer safe to drink…bummer.
Plague 2: Frogs
Rain brings frogs. Though they haven’t infested all our stuff, you can hear them chirping away all night.
Plague 3/4: Gnats and Flies
Bugs…I’m not sure if there’s anything that can annoy me faster and there are plenty of bugs here! My least favorites are the 3 palm-sized spiders that live in the main area of the house.
Plague 5: Death of Livestock
We had a goat die this week. The boys carried it off the property and buried it. One of the cats also dragged a rat into the girl’s room and proceeded to eat half of it on our stuff until it was shooed out. Gross.
Plague 6: Boils
This one gets me the most- it’s called mataquena. It’s a worm that burrows into your skin and lays eggs. I had 6 of them removed this week. Thoroughly disgusted!
Mataquena. Worms that burrow into your skin to lay their eggs.
My toe, post extraction. I had 6 worms total!
Nicole's worm.
Plague 7: Hail
We prayed for rain and it has come in full force! Actually, there have been 2 cyclones that have hit Mozambique in the past week. My tent is pretty wet…
Plague 8: Locusts
We don’t have locusts but we do have ants, fire ants. Don’t step on their houses or get in their path- they will bite. I currently have a colony living under my rain fly on my tent- they’re attempting to stay dry too!
Plague 9: Darkness
The storms often leave us “in the dark” for a good portion of the night. Electricity is touch and go starting around 6pm; we usually go to bed before 10pm.
Plague 10: Death of First-Born
Thankfully, I don’t have an example for this one and hopefully never will!
Another thought I’ve pondered is eating the same food for 40 years, just like the Israelites did on the Exodus from Egypt. Every day we eat oatmeal for breakfast, rice and beans for lunch and rice with cabbage for dinner. I love the predictability but I don’t know how long I could keep this diet…
Rice and Beans- my favorite meal!
Every other Sunday we get fish- a special treat!
We joke about being “comfortable with the uncomfortable,” especially in month 7 of the Race. Bucket showers, dirty clothes and greasy faces are the norm but for the first time on the Race I was craving clean and comfy like never before.
In my journal I wrote, “My tent is damp and full of ants (at least they’re on the outside). My sleeping pad and pillow are wet and stanky, my clothes are moldy, yes, moldy and I stink. I have acne galore all over my face. There is nowhereto go to relax. I have fire ants crawling on my as I write this. Just moved. I just want to wash my clothes (with clean water), exercise, be clean and have space. Okay, probably time for the thankful game…”
I wrote this before I knew I had 6 mataquenas to remove from my feet… but since writing this, I’ve showered and aired out my tent. I’ve had time to reflect a bit.
This life is reality for these boys. And they don’t complain.
They don’t complain about having 25 roommates; they’re glad for a place to sleep.
They don’t complain about having the same meals everyday; they’re thankful for food.
They don’t complain about the weather; they welcome the rain and sun.
They don’t complain about stinky clothes; they’re glad to have clothes to wear.
Reality is that my clothes will stink all month (so will I). My tent will be wet. I’m going to get more bug bites. I’ll have to pull out more mataquena from my feet. I’m going to eat rice, beans and cabbage everyday. Ants will continue to crawl all over me.
And in the midst of it all, I’m learning to be thankful. I have by no means mastered this but I think I’ll have plenty of opportunities to practice this month…
