God Became Man And Dwelled Among Us

This week gone was quite eventful. Sunday at church was an awesome start! Never mind the language barrier. The ‘praise team’ had a different dance/jig for each song. The instruments were made, not bought. The drum set, for example, is set up like a regular drum set home, but it’s goat skin they use with metal drums (steel pan material). The cymbal was a flat piece of metal with glass bottle covers wired to it. And the sermon was in 3 languages! We’re backward in the west, bout we only know one language.
Or I am.
Went to the bush twice, to see two different families. It was amazing. We got to have vet meetings where we discussed different animal diseases they were experiencing. It’s my job to now figure out what the illnesses are and to come up with possible solutions. Imagine someone explaining that their animal makes a sound (then imitates the sound) and does like this (then imitates the action). Quite a hill to climb, but I’m gonna try my best. I did get some good info to work with.
The life seems so simple. It all comes down to eating really, and the consequences there of. So the trip to the well is for the purpose of cooking or drinking. (No, not bathing.) Or whatever work you do is so that you can have enough to eat. But when you get down to it, life in the developed country isn’t much different. We just use cars instead of donkeys or camels. My life has to be more than making money (aka work) to eat (and feed kids) so that you can be strong enough to make money (and send your kids to school so they can get in on the really kool cycle).
I’m still trying to figure out why these people have not ‘progressed’ as the rest of the species has. Don’t they want to know how to stay healthy? Or to have a safer place to sleep with proper protection from the wild animals? I’m not talking about a culture change at all, just simply improving the quality of life. I thought about Jesus coming to live with us. I mean, I know about internet, and running water, and the benefits of brushing one’s teeth and not allowing your children to eat from the ground. To have to give all that up so that they can have true life would be challenging. Not because it’s not nice and clean, but because I’d want to make them better, or make them accept this true life; To bathe all their children, to filter their water, to be forgiven of their sins.
For Jesus to come and live for 30 years with us, just doing as we do (which would be the equivalent to drinking dirty water and having diarrhoea everyday) and silently allowing us to make our own choices, not forcing us to do what He knows is our only Hope of survival…That’s hard. He’s still patiently waiting.
So much is happening here each day, it would be too much to write. God’s been good though. Keeping our stomaches, and keeping the vehicle, and guiding us.

Best things from this week: The bush kids. One boy was about 6 and had never had a bathe in his life! But even with dirt on their faces, and the butt nakedness, they were sooo cute and sweet. I also didn’t sweat when I slept. So that’s a plus. I also made a friend in the village. J She invited me out for youth meeting (I think…don’t know what they were saying, but everyone looked young) and then I had dinner by her house. She knows some English. It was fun trying to communicate. It’s also great to get e-mails.
Worst thing: My BO from not bathing out in the bush. Lol.

I’m stopping myself now, or I’ll end up writing a book, not a blog entry. Pray for Haiti people! I’ve heard a little, but it sounds really serious. Going to bed now. Got church in the morning.
VM