MORE ON PEMBA LIVING

MORE ON PEMBA – SUNDAY 7/20/08

I’m not really sure how many of you are actually reading any of this. I went back and took a look at this blog myself and I can see where it may come across a bit overwhelming. There’s quite a bit of plain text on this thing! Maybe not so much for people like my mom who love reading and devour words like Pemba kids on a plate of rice…but for the rest of us with our busy schedules and places to be, I can understand not being able to keep up…not too sure I would ether.

I’m trying to break up all the running text with some pictures but uploading pictures here is a feat in and of itself. It’s usually a good day if I can event get to a terminal that’s working. Ether way, there’s something quite therapeutic for me in just journaling all of these experiences…it kind of helps me to make it all make a bit more sense. In addition I do believe there actually are a couple of you that are keeping up with this adventure, so I’ll continue to keep on ‘blogging’…’blogging’, that’s so funny to me.

If I could ask those of you who are keeping up with this adventure to drop a comment every once in awhile…that would be encouraging to me… Just hit the word ‘comments’ and you can respond. Let me thank you up front.

OK, back to life in Pemba. I’ve seemed to pick up some kind of bug or something. I don’t believe it’s Malaria although several people here have gotten hit with that. The symptoms are more ‘flu like’ than anything. You know, throat and nose irritation, not being able to rest peacefully and sneezing here and there. I’m keeping an eye on it and dousing with herbs but I feel it’s one of those things that will pass with time…I’m hoping.

We woke up to no electricity again this morning and because the power runs the plumbing pump, that usually means no water. It just now came back on…for how long…no one really knows. I actually got to take my first hot shower in, I don’t know how long, the other day. I was helping to unload one of the Land Rovers over at the Baker’s house and I was invited to run through their house shower…I willingly accepted. How good can a shower be? When you’re living in the dust and dirt and everything else that’s around us here, for days and days, and all you have is a cold shower that intermittently functions, hot running water showering down over your head can seem quite close to Nirvana! I can only hope my next hot water experience isn’t too far off.

MORE ON PEMBA – TUESDAY 7/22/08

There are so many things that go on in a single day over here that by the end of the day I can barely recall everything. This truly IS the missions field and it’s quite reminiscent of a war zone. I was in a war zone back in 1994 when there was horrible civil un-rest in Bosnia occurring between the Bosnians, Croats and the Serbs. That was real war as one would think of a war… Pemba is a war of poverty, and along with the physical manifestations that are quite visible; there are also the spiritual goings on. There is such a spiritual battle happening here. Which craft and demonic activities are taking place all over. At times you can hear the beating of the witchdoctors drum during the night. Dreams can many times be laced with darkness. When you wake up, you just know that you went through something evil while you were sleeping, My dreams have taken a dark turn, many times leaving me feeling a bit off in the morning. It’s really quite an experience.

My mornings are filled with the consistent crowing of that obnoxious rooster that’s right outside my window… which has no glass, remember? There are babies crying, people murmuring, all sorts of animals making noise on the roof of my house and the sound of diesel engines from the many trucks revving up for another day of activity.

We had a monkey in our trash the other day and frogs in the bathroom are constant companions. The shower drain is now plugged up so we have a small man-made pond in there. I just cleaned up by hanging my head under the cold running water while the rest of me was leaning over the ledge. I was able to stick my arms and legs under the water, all the while balancing so as to not fall into the pool of shower water. Really makes you appreciate the many pleasantries we so often take for granted.

I’m off to teach this morning. I’m scheduled to teach the Mozambique’n Pastors about The Holy Spirit. This is done with an interpreter, sometimes two inrerpretitors depending on whether we need to translate into Makua as well as Portuguese. I’ve done this a few times now and I think I’m beginning to get the flow down a bit better…still not an easy feat. I’ll let you know how it goes.