Interest

Our family last Sunday

Islanders know us for different reasons. They are our neighbors, our students, our colleagues, our acquaintances, our friends. They meet us on the street or just show up at our house. Some seek us out for English, for money, for amusement. But sometimes they are interested in something else, in something more.

They show this interest in different ways. Sometimes they start a discussion, barraging us with questions about what we believe or how we live. Sometimes we find them looking at a book from our library and they ask to borrow it. Sometimes we can see the interest brewing inside them before they express it, sometimes it comes out of the blue.

Barak is Tom’s good friend. Tom often takes the kids and sits chatting with him. One day  Barak asked about our kids’ names. Tom gave a brief explanation-- mentioning King David, the apostle Peter and the concept of grace. Barak didn’t know the stories of David and was curious. So Tom came back with a kids book telling the stories in simple terms. He left it with Barak. He read the whole thing, but then said, “These are just summaries. I want to read the real thing.” Tom came back and gave him a copy of the real thing.

Sterehi and Sanamwe both come to our English club and borrow books from our small English library. Both took out copies of the Book. Sterehi has known us for awhile. He’s asked for prayer several times. He’s been getting books for a long time but this time he asked to take one not from the normal shelf. Sanamwe is brand new to our English library. We’ve had very few conversations with him but this was one of the first books he grabbed.

Tom & boys in the ocean

Three copies of a very special book in the hands of islanders and this is just the tip of the interest. We have more stories, stories of islanders thinking, asking and seeking. Plus there are those where the interest is brewing inside and we don’t even know. But one day they will find us or one of our teammates. They’ll ask. They’ll seek. Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Our holiday English club went well-- our time was up before we could have much discussion so we may get more questions this week (today, Sat). So far none of the rest of us have gotten lice! The electricity has improved the past couple days (pray that it is a pattern starting!). Many teammates are starting to have opportunities to have meaningful study with islanders.


PRAYERS REQUESTED 
Still fighting with the lice-- pray that we are winning. Plans are coming together for us to go to South Africa in July to get some medical care for Megan’s back (when our team is going to Kenya for training). Pray for us as we consider different options (surgical procedures, PT…)-- her recent improvements may make us lean away from surgery. Pray that these improvements would continue and make the decision clear. The island has been going through voter registration for elections in November-- we’re a little nervous about these upcoming elections, so start praying now for peace and stability to continue on the islands (especially Clove Island).

A Tense Debate

Tom & Peter dye eggs

People don’t usually prepare statements for English club, but last Saturday was different. We had warned everyone what we were going to be talking about it and since we have some newer members with less English, we recommended they prepare.

All the women that night read prepared statements. They were all very similar, something like this:
“I don’t like polygamy. It is bad for the country. Polygamy causes problems and conflicts.  I want my husband to only have one wife. You can not split your love equally.”

Some even declared that polygamy leads to deaths! (The later explanation was that rival wives put curses on each other or their husband.)

Team celebrates Seder

These 4 unmarried women sat in a room full of island men. Unfortunately none of our women friends with advanced English were able to come that night so after the 4 prepared statements-- the men took the floor for most of the debate.

Here are some sound bytes:
“I am sad to hear the women say this, because our religion says that polygamy is good, so if they are good women then they should never say such things.”

“My father was a polygamist and I want to be a polygamist someday.” (young single man)

“I am a polygamist right now!”

Grace with her dyed egg

“My friend took another wife and I asked him why. His wife’s cycles were very long and it was too hard on him so he took another wife.”

“Really our book says that you must treat the wives equally, so if you can’t treat them equally, you shouldn’t take another wife.”

“If a polygamist comes for my sister and she is getting older, I will tell her to accept him. I don’t want her to be public property all her life.”

“Women, what would you prefer? Would you rather your husband went around and took lots of mistresses or that he should just take another wife?” (stated like these are the only two options.)

We asked questions, we clarified our position, we challenged ideas, but we also just let the islanders discuss together. This is a topic that divides the sexes here. Women are fairly empowered in this culture and so we often see the underlying culture and the state religion coming into conflict. 

At the same time, it is hard for us to hear.  It breaks our hearts and reminds us how differently we view the world.  All the men except one supported polygamy.  They seemed unphased, unfeeling, and completely oblivious to the fact that every single woman in the group detested it. 

But there was one man. His English is not so good, but he said, “I hate it.  It causes too much problems.”  One man out of 12.  Maybe it’s a start… 

Refugee camp

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We are excited about the opportunities that English club has given us to challenge islanders and have good conversations. Tom got to go and see the refugee camp (residents of village split in two by recent fissure), he was encouraged by how it was being run. The team celebrated a Seder meal, helping add a layer of significance to this holy week. Our team continues to learn and be challenged about prayer and fasting.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Tonight (Saturday) at English club we will be discussing this special holiday weekend and its significance to us. We pray that it would be another good discussion and that the right people would be there tonight. Pray for our whole team that we would have opportunities to share about this special holiday this weekend. Grace has lice (some friends of hers had them so we knew it was a danger)-- pray that we can get rid of them quickly without anyone else getting them.

Living in Darkness and Fear

Dressed as a witch doctor (a skit)

We wanted to share with you some of the things we’ve heard from our teammates and friends this week:

“We were at the event, the music was playing when she started convulsing right in front of me.”
Our teammate had been told that every woman in her landlady’s family has a spirit or spirits, but she hadn’t witnessed anything before. Her friend had been embarrassed about it and said that she didn’t like it.  An island sister said she avoids that family because of all the things in which they are involved. 

“His family is forcing him to go to a witch doctor to get medicine.”
He is an island brother but he isn’t open with his family. He told our teammate that a girl in his family is suddenly being tormented by demons. Now he has to make a choice between going against his family and trusting God or going to a witch doctor like his family wants.  We are sad to say he succumbed to the pressures of family and fears of rejection and went to see the witch doctor.

“She’s been cursed by some neighbors because she is friends with foreigners.”
Our friend has been sick and depressed for months. She only started getting sick when our teammates moved into the neighborhood. They have had lots of great talks with her but she suffers and has very little hope. Her family believes a curse was put on her. We have talked, we have found some medicine for her to take, now we are fasting and praying.

Tom near where we found a food offering

There are other stories too...our landlady was seen by a friend covering her face as she entered a witch doctor’s home.  We commonly find food offerings given to demons and left in special places by the ocean/caves/waterfalls. We hear stories of people in crazed trances speaking a language they don’t know, people suddenly going into fits when the drums are beating, generations of families calling on spirits to enter them...

You don’t notice this sort of darkness on a daily basis.  At least not at first.  But it is always there, hidden under the surface of things.  Many times they won’t admit to it because officially it is seen as wrong. They openly tell us that the official “island religion” forbids it ….”but we all do it anyway,” they confess.  And as we enter deeper into the culture and into community, we see it more and more. 

“You’re right, it is a war….but for me, things will happen but I’m not bothered. I don’t have to fear.”
An island sister told us about all the dark things she has witnessed and the fight going on in islanders.  They don’t know which way to follow and how to get help for their many problems.  They do what they think will work, whether or not it is right.  But our sister is not like that.  We look at her and give thanks.  She is not afraid.  She is happy.  She is free. We long for more to be freed from this fear and darkness.

Grace reading to Tom & Peter

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We started a new round of English classes this past week and they are going well. The kids went back to school after their “spring” break without any trouble. Megan’s back hasn’t been as bad the past couple weeks. Our team has had chances to share and pray with islanders this past week.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray for our team as we try to respond in the right ways to the kind of situations mentioned above. Pray for us as we make contact with neurosurgeons about Megan’s back and as we make decisions about timing and logistics. Pray for us as we deal with theft-- several teammates have now caught people stealing in their homes (often people they know well).

Anfu

Anfu & Peter

“What are you doing?”  I asked sternly in the local language.
“Nothing,” Anfu replied, “just looking at this.”  He held one Peter’s toys in his hand but he was standing over Megan’s purse.
“Just looking???”  I took his hand and opened it.  He resisted.  In his palm was a shiny new coin.  It was proof.  Anfu was stealing.  We had started to suspect a few weeks earlier.  We had a change jar where we put our taxi money.  Lots of coins were missing.  We suspected Anfu and put the jar up high where he couldn’t reach.  Maybe a jar full of coins was just too tempting for a ten year old boy to resist.  But then about a week later, I noticed coins missing from a pocket in my backpack.  Did I use them?  No, I’m almost positive they were in there.

When I caught Anfu stealing no one was around.  I told him I would tell the adults.  “Don’t tell,”  he pleaded. “I won’t do it again.”
“But this isn’t the first time.” I said. “I have to tell them.”
Now what?  We like Anfu.  Sometimes, we feel sorry for him. His situation needs some explaining.  He lives down stairs with our landlady, Ma Fado…

When we first came he was introduced as Ma Fado's child. It seemed a little strange. He was significantly younger than their youngest daughter (who is 23), but stranger things have happened. Then we noticed how much work he does. He sweeps. He cleans dishes. He takes out trash. Most sons aren’t expected to do that much work. Then we noticed how they treat him. They never show any affection toward him. Either they are calling for him to do something or they are ignoring him. They don’t treat him like a son. Even the neighbors seemed to look down on him and treat him dismissively-- again, not like the son of a wealthy family.

We’re pretty sure now that Anfu is child labor. “Child” is used very generically on the island and can refer to any young relative. Anfu is most likely a poor relative of Ma Fado sent to work in their house with the understanding that they will feed him, house him and pay for his schooling. This practice isn’t uncommon here. Most islanders would argue that it is a great opportunity for the child of a poor family, but almost everyone would acknowledge that they are often mistreated.

Peter turns 4!

So it didn’t take long after we moved in for Anfu to start coming up to our house. He’s a quiet and pretty shy kid. He could slip into our house without us hearing him. Often he would just sit and play with some toys until someone called from downstairs, “ANFUUUUU!!” and he had to rush back down again. But we weren’t always comfortable with how quietly he’d come in (islanders are supposed to declare their presence before entering a house). We were very sad to find that he was stealing from us.

 The next morning I went to see our landlady, Ma Fado.  I tried to present it well.
“I want to talk to you about Anfu.  He’s a good kid.  We like him a lot, but everybody makes mistakes.  We want him to learn the good way to go.”  Ma Fado listened and smiled, apparently oblivious to what I was getting at.  “So that’s why I’m sad to tell you that I found Anfu stealing.”
“What!!! Stealing!!!” She screamed, “Anfu, get in here right now.”  He came with a look full of fear and shame.  Ma Fado yelled and screamed and thoroughly chewed him out and belittled him as a thief and no good.  Then Ma Fado’s grown daughter came out with a belt.  The two of them grabbed him and started whipping him all over his body.  He was screaming.  I asked them to stop and finally interceded.  Anfu ran off to a corner and hid.  Between yelling insults at Anfu, Ma Fado apologized and told us to lock the door from now on.  I tried to say something else about wanting him to learn what is right, but Ma Fado wasn’t listening. So reluctantly I left.

Birthday Boy with his T-rex

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Azali has returned to Clove Island in hopes of resolving the situation with his fiancée.  Thank you all you who have been praying for him.  It was good to see him and encourage him in person.  He seems to have found some peace about things, but that may be because things are starting to tip in his favor.  Megan had an opportunity to share some truth with three of her students and an administrator. We celebrated Peter’s 4th birthday with lots of dinosaurs!

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Keep praying for Azali, the complicated situation, and that the best would happen for everyone.  The situation has given me a few opportunities to share with his family and Azali stories of suffering like the stories of Job, Jacob and Joseph.  Pray that these stories would touch their hearts.  Pray for Anfu and for us to have opportunities to show him grace and love (we haven’t seen him since the incident). One of our teammates witnessed her close neighbor become possessed at an event this past week. She had been in the past told that her neighbor “had spirits” but had never witnessed anything. Pray for our teammate as she tries to share with this family. Another teammate also caught a neighbor (an adult) stealing-- pray for wisdom in that situation. Continue to pray for Megan’s back and our next steps.