The Christmas season has officially commenced.
Tonight’s commemoration of the start of Christmastime included a big screen
viewing of Elf with A/Cs on full blast while sipping hot chocolate. We
are amazingly blessed to have the capabilities of creating such a serene
atmosphere in the African heat. With power out for most of the last couple of
days, the playing of Christmas music has failed to give our sweating bodies the
feeling of a Winter Wonderland. But we thank God for the comforts and small
pleasures that he grants us.
Thursday’s holiday did indeed give rise to much
giving of thanks. Our Thanksgiving feast took place at the South African
compound. About 25 friends (many of whom have become like family) joined in the
festivities, representing a total of 10 different countries. It was definitely
the most international Thanksgiving that I’ve ever had. While I wasn’t feeling quite
up to par, I surely was feeling thankful. For, Thursday was the first day of
the week that I wasn’t severely suffering from the effects of malaria.
Ah, yes, Malaria. It’s pretty much a given that,
upon living here for any significant amount of time, you’ll experience the
ever-common illness. I had supposedly contracted it briefly last spring, but it
wasn’t anything like this week. They called it GI Malaria. Upon my first visit
to the hospital, they more than sufficiently medicated me (by “more than
sufficiently” I may mean OVER-medicated…). After the first couple days of
malaria symptoms, the side effects of the drugs took over—that is, COMPLETE
fatigue. I was wiped out to the point that I couldn’t teach for the majority of
the week. Sitting at home, waiting for my body to heal was agonizing. But, I am
ever so thankful for the care that my comrades here in the compound showed
me—multiple visits to the hospital, waiting on me hand-and-foot, forcing me to
rest. They were a huge blessing. During the Thanksgiving meal, I gave thanks,
in all sincerity, not just for my improving health, but also for my
sickness—for two reasons. First, though it seemed miserable most of the time,
I’m thankful that I was forced to slow down and just sit. In so doing, I came
to the realization that, in fact, the world does NOT depend upon me, and I
don’t have to feel the weight of supposed dire responsibilities as heavily as I
had been. Secondly, my sickness gave me a great appreciation for health and the
ability to work. I mean, honestly, I was never so happy to work as I was on
Friday when I stepped foot into class with a mostly cleared mind and a somewhat
energized body. What fools we are to take such things for granted. So, this
Thanksgiving week, I am, INDEED, grateful to God for His inestimable blessings.
This upcoming week is the final full week of school
for the term. What a wonderful term it has been. I am extremely thankful for the meaningful relationships
that I’ve been able to form with many of my students. I am prayerfully trusting
that God is using such relationships to produce fruit which is pleasing to Him.
I am thankful for the awesome discussions that I’ve been able to lead in
various classes—discussions, which, I hope, have pointed students towards God’s
beautiful plan for their lives. I am thankful to be a part of the most
important mission in the world—that of bringing souls out of the darkness and
into the light. I have grown to love my students deeply this year and want
nothing less than for them to understand fully what is the height and the
depth, the length and the width, of our Father’s love for them. Please join me
in praying this week for those in my Bible classes who will hear of the
opportunity to be “born-again” into real, soul-satisfying LIFE through Jesus
Christ.
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