This week was unique in that our team is preparing to
separate for a little while. Tiffany and
I will be traveling to the capital with our supervisor to help some new
missionaries and their families get acclimated while the rest of the team goes
on to explore new parts of Madagascar.
Whenever I have to pack to go someplace I usually wait until the last
minute to throw some things in a bag. If
I forget anything, I count on convenient stores like CVS or Wal-Mart where I
can find everything I would ever (or never) need. Traveling in Madagascar isn’t quite like
that. There are stores where you can generally find what you need, but if you
want a specific brand of something, you are better off bringing your own. I spent yesterday and today making a
checklist of things I didn’t want to forget to bring and packing them. As I have been getting ready to leave, I’ve
thought about our language teacher, Mika.
Mika doesn’t make checklists or have issues with packing; I thought of
him because we helped him move earlier this week and moving his entire family
into a new home seemed like a much simpler process than me packing for a short
vacation.
We went to Mika’s house this past Monday morning at about
9am. We knew we were helping him move
but we weren’t really sure what to expect.
In the states, helping a friend move means helping them find boxes,
maybe some packing and loading up a car or truck. We did none of that. Mika had mostly everything packed; we were
there to help him move it all. Literally.
We helped carry everything from his old home to his new home and we walked the
entire way. It was more like a hike
through the woods over uneven and rocky terrain with suitcases and pots and
pans; I’m pretty sure we walked for a mile. But just as I started to get tired and worn
out…we were finished. Mika has a wife
and 2 daughters and a brother–in-law who currently lives with them and it only took
us 2 trips to move his entire family. We
were done before lunch. Thinking about
this while I was packing for my short vacation made me realize, I have more
“stuff” than an entire Malagasy family.
I know I’m only here in Madagascar with a few of my belongings, but I
know that back in the states I could never pack up and move with ease the way
that Mika did. He and his family have
everything they need, nothing more and nothing less. I have a lot of stuff,
this is a fact of life, but my experience with Mika and his family humbled me
and put things into perspective (by the way, this humbling thing has become a daily
occurrence). And so I must remember, “Do
not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and
where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in
heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in
and steal. For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21.
For the Kingdom,
plc
No comments:
Post a Comment