I was trying to explain the difference
between ‘simple’ and ‘complex’ to my English students the other day. “Simple,”
I said, “is something that is easy to explain and easy to understand because
there is usually only one thing to think about. Complex, on the other hand, is
something that takes a long time to explain because there are so many different
things to keep in your head at the same time…things that are often strange or
unknown to the person you are trying to talk to which makes it harder for them
to understand.”
Life in Gambella is not simple.
We returned in January filled with new and
exciting ideas about what we were going to do with our students only to have
our very first week turned upside down by deadly ethnic clashes. Nothing has been the same ever since. We now
teach two sets of classes in two different areas of Gambela, as neither ethnic
group can meet with the other at present. Our Anglican brethren on both sides
long for fellowship with each other and will often pray for each other, ask
about each other, and send greetings to each other through us. They have
responded negatively to other denominations in town that are calling for total
segregation.
It is both painful and pleasing to see
this…pleasing in that they have transcended traditional tribal barriers and
painful in that they are being forced to stay apart because some on both sides
do not share that unique oneness in Jesus. It is refreshing to see that our
brethren here are not slow to see the spiritual forces of darkness behind the
killing and the hatred – not flesh and blood, but principalities and powers in
the heavenly places – and so they turn as one united body together against a
common spiritual enemy and fight their battles on their knees, fasting and
praying for peace.
At the same time, city water has been very
scarce and the power has been sporadic. Some of our brethren in outer lying
areas do not have food as all the roads were closed during the unrest. And it
is hot…very hot. Temperatures are now often between 45 and 55 degrees Celsius
with an increasing humidity, even at night. Our students tell us they can’t
sleep…we know, because we can’t either. When the power goes off and we don’t
have fans going, it feels like we are living in an oven.
Add now this: my dear old heart that just
doesn’t seem to be able to handle this extreme environment anymore. I had a
really bad episode of Atrial Fibrillation in Addis in December last year just
before we went to South Africa. While in South Africa I heard that I ought to
have a heart ablation, a procedure in which the surgeon cauterizes the areas
where the impulses enter the atrium and cause the heart to beat very fast and
irregularly. I had hoped to put this off until July, but the other morning I
woke up with A-Fib in spite of the high doses of meds that I am on to prevent
this from happening. See? This is so long and difficult to explain! It is
complex – not the sort of thing I would have planned for us at this time.
The long and the short of it all is that we
are closing the College a week early to go to South Africa so that my ticker
can get a service…of course the pacemaker and other problems complicate things,
but it just wouldn’t be my life if it was simple, would it?
We are thinking about changing the dates of
our current semesters so that the College will be functional only during the
less extremely hot seasons...the rest of the time…well, we will have to figure
that out as we go along. We remain committed to the Lord’s work and the people
here in Gambela…we just have to figure out creative ways to keep me healthy!
We have been moving at quite a pace with
our dear students as we have had to cram our lessons into shorter hours because
we are now dividing everything into two. We have also had to make up for the
lost week in the past two days and have given them projects and assignments to
do for next week. After that, they all go to their respective field education
areas where they will be engaging in a research project as well as teaching
Bible Stories chronologically. They are all so very, very smart and we are
very, very proud of each one. So many strikes against them from the start and
so many strikes against them as they simply try to live here, but they are
troupers and keep on keeping on for Jesus!
We will send out an update once I have had
the procedure done.
We love you all and are so blessed to have
you as partners…we are not alone…the Father is with us, and you all are with us
too. We are encouraged.
Many blessings and tons of love.
Johann and Louise