Prayer and Mutual Dependence

Several years ago, I heard someone from Wyoming talk about how people in her state tend to know their neighbors better than in other states. She said something like, “If your roof blows in wintertime, you will die. So it's good to know your neighbors well.” In a way, being a missionary here in Africa is similar. We are faced with various stresses and trails, and we are in need for other missionaries to help us get through them. It's mutual dependence.

This past weekend went over to another missionary family's house and took care of their kids. The missionary couple had several bad experiences the previous months like being robbed, a heavy workload, a child with malaria, and another child with unexplained fevers. The couple drove off for a badly needed weekend getaway at a hotel on Lake Victoria. Taking care of their kids wasn't easy. The kids are both in diapers and do not sleep through the night. The missionary couple returned home Sunday afternoon, and we were happy to give their kids back to them. Lily and I were both tired from two nights of poor sleep, but we knew this missionary couple really needed their getaway.

We drove away from the missionaries' house and soon heard a rattling noise from the front left tire area. The rattle sound came at every bump we hit. Since I had just had new shock absorbers installed, I was concerned about the job they did.

We pulled into a service station and discovered that one of the shock's screws had broken off. The mechanics couldn't fix the problem. I get particularly nervous about shock problems after a small accident last year wrecked my Saturn's transaxle

Lily was anxious because she had some important driving to do the next day. I prayed for my car to be fixed. I called my missionary friend and carefully drove the 2 miles back to his house. My friend arranged for a mechanic to come to his house and fix my car. The mechanic fixed my shock in about 30 minutes. I was so relieved to be able to drive without risk of a bad breakdown. Our two families stayed a few hours longer and had some great fellowship over a pizza.

Prayer and mutual dependence. This is how we survive the stress and trials of the mission field.