Six Months and Counting

We have now been at Namwianga for six months. My daughter has a minor in missions, so I read her Missions 101 book before we came. According to some missiologists, David and I should be hitting a low stage in our cultural adjustment. Many missionaries are depressed and homesick at the six-month mark. I’m happy to report that we are neither. Our relatively smooth adjustment could be due to a number of reasons. We had been to Namwianga several times before we moved here and already had been introduced to the culture. We are old enough to have been through difficult situations, so we tend to keep a long-term perspective on tough times. We haven’t had to learn a new language, so that has helped our adjustment tremendously. Finally, we have had such faithful prayer support from our home congregation and many of you. We are very grateful for the many dear souls who lift us up before the Father on a daily basis.

I thought it might be interesting to share some six-month lists that have been swirling around in my head.

List Number 1 – New Habits and Routines in Our Life

1. Watch for snakes wherever you go.
2. Keep a flashlight and candles handy because you never know when the electricity is going to go out.
3. Always have a Plan B for meals in case the electricity goes out while you are cooking.
4. Clean the bugs out of the kitchen sink every morning.
5. Sweep the bugs off the bed every night before you get in.
6. Tuck the mosquito net in around the mattress before you go to sleep.
7. Unplug the refrigerator, freezer, computer, printer, and internet hookup whenever you hear a thunderstorm approaching. This is because lightning can strike through the electric wires and fry the electric appliances. It happens frequently here.
8. REMEMBER to plug the refrigerator and freezer back in after the storm is over.
9. Always keep extra mealie meal (cornmeal) on hand to give away.


List Number 2 – Hard Adjustments We Have Faced

1. Being away from our children. I knew this would be tough, but it has been REALLY tough. Each of our children faced a pretty significant crisis in the last six months, and it was painful to not be available to help them.
2. INTERRUPTIONS! I keep thinking that I will keep a record of how many times a day I get called to the door to solve some problem or accept a message or greet a friend or give out food. It is very difficult to get anything done in between interruptions. I have started getting up very early to have some uninterrupted time for Bible study, prayer, and working on projects. (So far the earliest someone has knocked on the door was 5:10 a.m. and the latest was 10;45 at night.)
3. The constant poverty and need around us. I knew we were coming to a developing nation, and I knew we would be around the poor, but I was not prepared for the degree and pervasive nature of the poverty we encounter.
4. We are time-oriented people living in an event-oriented culture. We have had to learn to be patient and not watch our clocks all the time. The Zambians say, “Time is elastic.” We are learning.
5. Living without fast food and convenience foods. This may sound trivial, but it has been hard for me to adjust to cooking every single meal, especially since there are few convenience foods available.

More lists to come in future blogs.