The Vote

Rains means everything is green & growing

It just so happened that we arrived back to Clove Island just days before a major election. “You’re back already! I thought you wouldn’t come back until the elections were over!” one neighborhood shopkeeper commented.  Avoiding the election might have been a good idea—the days before an election are filled with noisy late-night rallies, which often seem to take place right in front of our house.  Imagine large speakers set up directly outside your window and speeches and dancing lasting till about midnight and you’ll get a sense.

Blessedly, however, the day of the elections are quiet.  Islanders aren’t allowed to campaign. No one is allowed to travel between villages or islands— no taxis, no boats, no planes (except perhaps on official business). This travel ban is supposed to discourage voter fraud.  As a precaution, we also stay close to home on Election Day, in case there is any trouble. But there was no trouble.  The roads were empty, and generally Election Day passed by like a holiday-- peaceful, smooth and uneventful.

But it seems things are never really smooth here.  The vote done, everyone has been waiting for the results, and waiting, and waiting... But no official results have been released.  Gossip swirls around.  Why hasn't the vote come out? Are they trying to rig the vote?  Are they doing a recount? But no one seems to really know.  Everyone assumes corruption and fraud is in the works. Everyone seems worried that it won’t end well.

You might wonder, "How can that be that no one really knows the election results?" But that is the case.  Information is a luxury, a source of power, and often a closely-held secret.  So no one knows what is happening, and no one knows when we will know what is happening.  But in the meantime, life goes on.

We have asked you to pray for the elections in our previous blog and we ourselves have been praying.  It's not always easy to know how to pray. We definitely don’t pray for a specific party or candidate to win.   We tell our neighbors that we pray for peace and for the right candidate to win; someone who is just and wise and interested in serving the people and not himself.  But even as they agree with us and say "Amen." We can see that they don't really believe it is possible.  “The candidates are all the same. The vote is always rigged. Nothing ever changes.” 

Our youngest is now a doctor

A friend of ours said, "The problem is, the candidates only reflect the populace."  If the candidates are corrupt, untrustworthy and self-interested, then it is a mirror for the people they represent. (A challenging statement to think about for any country). In the face of such apparent hopelessness, we often pray another prayer.  "Lord, have mercy." Mercy is a beautiful thing, for it falls on the just and the unjust alike.  Islanders may not receive good governance anytime soon.  Outsiders may wonder if they even deserve it.  But the Lord is merciful, and we pray for mercy.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We’re finally over jetlag! Our older two kids have adjusted back to island school. Our overnight guest ended up coming back to us for two more nights as his backpack with passport and ID card had been stolen. Thankfully his passport and ID had been turned in to police and they were several unlikely events along the way that showed he was being taken care of in spite of this setback.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Keep praying for the islands as they await the final election results. Pray especially for the aftermath if the populace isn’t happy with these results. Megan was able to reconnect with Bweni only to learn that she had left her new husband for good and was hiding on the big island. It doesn’t seem like she is in a good place, pray for her. Ma Imani is entering her third trimester but has continued to have health problems. Most recently she was injured in a family dispute. It’s unclear how the baby is doing, but we continue to pray fervently for a healthy baby and mother! While the threats of persecution on the group have strengthened some, others are afraid and fallen into old, bad patterns. Pray for unity, perseverance and hope for all. Several teammates have been feeling sick lately. Pray for good health!