Who’s pulling the strings?

An event right outside our house

This past Sunday we had a nice time of fellowship.  On the taxi ride home I was looking forward to a relaxing and quiet Sunday afternoon… a time to rest, nap and regroup after what had been kind of a difficult week.  But as the taxi pulled up to our house we saw people putting large tarps over the road.  This could only mean one thing—a wedding event.

Now there are all sorts of wedding events that happen here and we are not really opposed to them, except when they happen right outside our house.  Why?  Because all wedding ceremonies include singing and dancing and all singing must be amplified and speakers have only one volume setting on the islands—AS LOUD AS POSSIBLE.  Why do they even put a volume dial on those things???

So now I start thinking, as a watch them set up speakers directly outside our kitchen window—I’ve got a meeting tonight.  How am I going to have a meeting if there is music blaring into our living room?  It’s simply not going to work.  I’ve been meeting with some friends for the past few months, having great discussions, sharing with them my favorite stories from our book.  Today was supposed to be the final story—you know, the one where the stone is rolled away and the women are amazed and then some men have an amazing walk and discussion along the road.  I was excited to share this story, but now I’m thinking, it’s going to be impossible.  There will be too much noise tonight.  I’ll simply have to cancel.  That’s when my mind asks another question, “Is this a win for the other side?”  “Is this some sort of dark scheme to keep these friends of mine from hearing the exciting resolution to the story?”  I don’t know if you ever think this way, but things being the way they are here—where interactions can feel like a raging battle in the spiritual realm; where evil spirits are an every day part of people’s lives; where strange things happen at times that seem more than coincidental—it just seemed too coincidental not to ask the question.  Just then the music starts to thump.

We haven’t even had lunch yet and we are drowning in sound.  The music is loud and frenetic in it’s tempo—the sort of tempo that makes your heart beat faster whether you want it to or not.  So much for a quiet Sunday afternoon…The questions return, “Who’s at work here?” The quiet Sabbath afternoon is ruined, but maybe this means it will be over before my meeting this evening.  So with music flooding every corner of our home, we try to take some quiet rest time…

Ours kids play photographer

By early evening the event is in full swing and our nerves are jagged.  Poor Megan has to cook dinner in the kitchen, where the music is the loudest.  I was retreating to the farthest corner of the house to get away from it.  Of course, this meant I didn’t hear Megan when she  called for help in the kitchen, for someone to set the table, for everyone to come to dinner.  By the time we sat down to dinner Megan and I are snapping at one another and the kids, the music is still pounding, and I hate everything. We have to yell across the table to be heard. Not our finest hour.  Plus, I’m really annoyed because it seems like the party is not going to stop.  It’s just going to continue on into the evening…I’m going to go completely insane.

So, with twenty minutes to spare before my friends come over I decide to call them and cancel.  So I did.  And as I hung up the phone, the music stopped.  Fifteen minutes later they were carting away the speakers.  It was over.

My mind starts to ponder again, “Who just won?”  “Is it a coincidence that as soon as I cancelled the music stopped?”  Should I call my friends back and say we could go on with our meeting?  Then I thought about how stressed out I felt; how tired; how I was only now feeling my heart rate return to normal.  No.  No meeting tonight.  I’m defeated.

Later that evening, in our now tranquil living room, I sat playing some quiet songs of worship and thinking.  Nothing can separate us from this great love…neither height nor depth…angels nor demons…famine nor sword…and I realized that I should add over blown speakers or cancelled meetings.  In the end, I may have been disappointed, but there will be other days, other meetings.  If not with me, than with someone else.  My time may be limited, but He has all the time in the world.  And nothing can stop his love.  Then finally, a frazzled soul went to bed and found some rest.

PRAYERS ANSWERED

One of our teammates is in Kenya this week for a speaking engagement.  We’re happy that her travels went well and we’re hoping she’ll have a great week in Kenya.  Asiria, our landlady’s servant girl, has been a frequent visitor and seems comfortable with us.  We are happy that she seems rather well behaved.  A friend of ours asked us to pray for his sick mother.  We are encouraged that he would come to us for prayer.  We are happy to be hosting a visitor this week.

PRAYERS REQUESTED

Pray for Tom’s friends and that they would still be able to meet and continue to share their hearts with one another.  Pray for our teammates who are away –those at home for the next few months, and the one in Kenya this week.  Pray that God would continue to give us wisdom, patience, grace and faith as we live in this sometimes difficult place. Pray for encouragement.