Thanksgiving

It is American Thanksgiving today. School is out, sleeping-in has taken place, and the turkey is frying (yes, frying... apparently, that's how Southern Americans do it). Should be an enjoyable feast!

Locust Delight

Yet another plague has arrived... this time, locusts. One night: the usual army of ants, towering hills of termites, and groups of geckos. The next morning: an additional host of locusts added to the lengthy list of insects and the like. They were everywhere... and enormous! I couldn't walk the courtyard path without being bombarded by leaping locusts with every step. They lined the walls and floors, while occasionally lining me as well. Yikes! :)
That evening, they surrounded every white light they could find, circling the glowing lamps in hordes. Also surrounding the lights were Rwandese people with buckets. You see, they eat these locusts. They collect them and eat them as snacks. It was an amazing sight, to behold. And quite the culture-shocking experience to be sure: people gathering and eating large grasshoppers (as if it were Christmas-time and a feast to enjoy). How interesting! I haven't yet tried eating one...but perhaps I should ;)

My Malaria Malaise

Malaria...? Me...? Most likely!
Last week, I managed to become quite ill (fever, headache, fatigue, muscle aches, and a number of other malaria-like symptoms). I went to the hospital to have a blood test taken, and though the test for malaria came back negative, it still seems as if malaria was the culprit because as soon as I began taking anti-malaria medication the fever (et al) reduced dramatically. Others noted that when you take anti-malaria medication, the test results are often inaccurate. I experienced all of the malaria-associated symptoms along with the same pattern of recovery related to malaria...so it seems fairly clear that it was indeed malaria. Regardless, I am now well again (besides remaining very tired) and continue to serve God in all I do. Although, my dislike for mosquitoes has now overtaken my dislike for ants! :)

T.S. Eliot's "Christianity and Culture"

"The problem of leading a Christian life in a non-Christian society is now very present to us, and it is a very different problem from that of the accommodation between an Established Church and dissenters. It is not merely the problem of a minority in a society of individuals holding an alien belief. It is the problem constituted by our implication in a network of institutions from which we cannot disassociate ourselves: institutions the operation of which appears no longer neutral, but non-Christian. And as for the Christian who is not conscious of his dilemma — and he is in the majority — he is becoming more and more de-Christianized by all sorts of unconscious pressure: paganism holds all the most valuable advertising space."

Jars of Clay

" ¹Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. ²Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. ³And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. ⁴The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. ⁶For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. ⁷But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4

Light of the World

Light of the world (Jesus, you are a beautiful light...I am like the Moon while you are the Sun - I can only shine when you shine upon me)
You stepped down into darkness (Thank you, Jesus, for humbling yourself to bring light into this dark world)
Opened my eyes, let me see (I now have freedom from sin, through Jesus Christ. He has shown me the errors of my ways yet has offered me freedom and wisdom anyway)
Beauty that made this heart adore You (I love you, Jesus Christ. You are a beautiful presence in my life)
Hope of a life spent with You (I eagerly wait for your return, O Lord, and desire to spend eternity with you)

Here I am to worship (You are the King of Kings, Lord, and you deserve all of my worship)
Here I am to bow down (I declare that you are Lord of Lords and I submit my life to you)
Here I am to say that You're my God (and I am your servant, O God)
You're altogether lovely (so beautiful and worthy to be praised)
All together worthy, (more worthy than I can even fathom)
All together wonderful to me (and to all of creation)

King of all days (You will reign forever, my God)
oh, so highly exalted (I lift you up, my Saviour)
Glorious in heaven above (May your glory fill my life)
Humbly You came (in a manger, on a donkey, on a cross...Jesus, your humility is a beautiful example)
To the earth You created (You are a God of wonders...the whole earth is filled with your glory)
All for love's sake became poor (You loved me so much to die for me...thank you, Jesus Christ)

I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross

Thank you for your sacrifice on my behalf! You truly are the Light of the World!

H20 - no

By the way... I spoke too soon about the arrival of hot water and lovely showers... :(

Random musings...

I am now able to more fully imagine just how horrible the locust plague would have been during the time of Moses... Locusts are huge! Just thinking about them makes me want to run screaming!

Speaking of plagues... there seems to be one at David's house. Hundreds and thousands of insect wings litter the ground (sidewalk, driveway, porch, even inside the entrance hallway!)...! My students tell me they are termites but they look more like beetles with wings to me. Nearly every step - from the car to the front door - is filled with the sound of crunching bodies. The ants (yes, I still hate them) enjoy torturing the insects that unfortunately get flipped over on their backs (I'm sure they are screaming, "Help, I can't get up! I can't get up!" like the old lady in those ancient commercials) by eating them alive. Of course, they don't go for the bugs that are already dead (that would be too kind and compassionate for ants, I believe). Poor things.

On another note, I have seen some awesome sights. Such as heifer cows and goats walking along sidewalks in (near) downtown Kigali. Fun :)

Goats, you say? Well, goat meat abounds here. And it is really quite tasty... similar to beef, I think, but a bit more grisly.

Church antics

At church on Sunday, we sat beside a woman named Mary, whom as we found out, was a priest in the Anglican church in Kenya. She was dressed beautifully, elaborate wig and all, with a smile and energy to brighten anyone's day. Throughout the course of the service, she proceeded to take numerous pictures of us while singing, walked up to the front of the church and took many pictures of the choir singing, along with several pictures of the ministers (while preaching and administering communion, etc.)... and all of this on her cell phone! Of course, after each picture taken, she would smilingly return to her seat beside me and show me the picture, pointing out details that she enjoyed about the picture. She was hilarious. Mary definitely brought a smile to my face!

On the informative side, David and I attend an Anglican church that offers English services (the Kinyarwanda service takes place shortly after ours ends...and the English service is usually around 2 hours while the Kinyarwanda service is much longer, or so I have been told). A beautiful, fully-robed choir leads us in worship each week which is a highlight for me. We sing a combination of modern songs and older hymns - but all with energy, enthusiasm, and a heart of worship that is evident to those in attendance. Raising of hands and moving to the music are part and parcel. I love it!