When we got back to Africa in November, we came in the midst of the rainy season. It seemed to rain every single day and we looked forward to when it would stop. Now we are in the midst of the dry season. It is dry and hot, and now we wish it would rain.
With our ministry when we got back, things were going a little slow at first. SHIM gives its employees three weeks off during the holidays, so we slowed down as well. This may seem to be a good thing for us, yet when you are living in Africa and having to deal with the difficulties of life here, it can become really hard if you don’t feel you are accomplishing much. Now that the new year has begun, the ministry opportunities have increased dramatically. Now instead, our problem is that there seems almost more than we can handle.
We humans have a hard time being satisfied. Our goal will be to find our satisfaction in the Lord and seek to serve Him in whatever circumstance we may find ourselves in. So … let it rain (or sunshine, as the case may be)!!!
~ Bob
Monday, February 6, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Eating Humble Pie
If you read my last post, you know that I had a run-in with a parking attendant here in Jinja recently. I must say that it is one I am not proud of ...
After going to the parking office and being assured that I was in the 'right,' (and told that I only had to pay one ticket for each hour) I felt justified somehow in not paying the parking attendant the two tickets he was demanding.
Now I must tell you that it is very true that the parking attendants do attempt to scam you (at least us mzungus - white people) on a regular basis. From asking you for money with a story like that they did not receive their paycheck this month to giving you used tickets and so on. I know that this current parking attendant wrote a dishonest time down on my ticket as it was nearly 40 minutes off.
But besides those facts ... I was still clearly wrong. A friend pointed out to me where the law is stated in writing. And it is definitely one ticket per hour UP TO THE TWO HOURS which means that my hour and a quarter would have owed the parking attendant two tickets, not one as I had previously been lead to believe (and believed whole-heartedly)!!!
Well, once I realized this truth, I knew that I needed to go to the parking attendant and ask for forgiveness. You can imagine how surprised he was when this belligerent white lady knelt before him in broad daylight amidst a busy Main Street and asked for his forgiveness ... I was delighted to find that he still had his job and that he was willing to extend grace to me.
But I must say that eating humble pie is not my favorite pastime ...
After going to the parking office and being assured that I was in the 'right,' (and told that I only had to pay one ticket for each hour) I felt justified somehow in not paying the parking attendant the two tickets he was demanding.
Now I must tell you that it is very true that the parking attendants do attempt to scam you (at least us mzungus - white people) on a regular basis. From asking you for money with a story like that they did not receive their paycheck this month to giving you used tickets and so on. I know that this current parking attendant wrote a dishonest time down on my ticket as it was nearly 40 minutes off.
But besides those facts ... I was still clearly wrong. A friend pointed out to me where the law is stated in writing. And it is definitely one ticket per hour UP TO THE TWO HOURS which means that my hour and a quarter would have owed the parking attendant two tickets, not one as I had previously been lead to believe (and believed whole-heartedly)!!!
Well, once I realized this truth, I knew that I needed to go to the parking attendant and ask for forgiveness. You can imagine how surprised he was when this belligerent white lady knelt before him in broad daylight amidst a busy Main Street and asked for his forgiveness ... I was delighted to find that he still had his job and that he was willing to extend grace to me.
But I must say that eating humble pie is not my favorite pastime ...
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