The secret of...how to do without

Yes, the title of this post, taken from Philippians 4:12--note the new wording--has a distinct application to my life the past week or so! How is that, you might ask?

1.  No water

I knew this was a problem with the neighborhood I live in, but it has reached proportions never imagined.

There are frequent water cuts due to the fact that EWSA, the local water company here, has decided that water must be rationed during the dry season we are in. This means they turn the water on only at certain times, usually in the middle of the night, as I have discovered recently.

So last Wednesday I had a jerry can full of water, which was enough, I thought, to last a day or more. Then on Thursday at about 5:30am, I heard the neighbors filling up their containers using the outside tap. This water-gathering ritual lasted more than a half hour. By the time I decided to get up and use the bathroom at 6:30am, there was no water. It wasn't as though the neighbors took it all--even though that thought crossed my mind--just that the water company imposed their cut no doubt when they saw me, via specially planted hidden cameras, go for the tap.

OK, I went preaching that day, returned home, and still no water. So that evening I had, literally, a gallon left in the jerry can with which to take a shower. That means a half-gallon to use with soap, and the other half-gallon to rinse. Ever tried this? I was almost going to use the bath water to boil some eggs, but decided . . . no.

So that night I had the tap turned to the on position, with the idea that if the water came on in the middle of the night, I would hear it. Unfortunately, nothing happened that morning (Friday) or most of that day. Some cruel plot! But added to that situation was another small problem...

2.  No money

By the middle of last week, I was down to my last few thousand francs. But instead of going to an ATM and pulling money from my U.S. bank account, which I had done twice previously, I took the advice from a brother in the congregation (who works in a bank) to open a U.S. dollar account here in Rwanda. Withdrawing from an ATM kills you on the exchange rate, not to mention the high fees your bank charges. So having cash in U.S. dollars--preferably in large notes issued after 2006 for the most favorable rate--and exchanging it at a Forex is the best way to go.

By the way, the bank charges only $2 per withdrawal, no monthly service fees, and of course pays no interest. But at least since the funds are in U.S. dollars, they are not subject to the devaluation that would occur in the case of Rwandan francs. The franc has already devalued about 5% in the few months I've been here.

So on Wednesday I succeeded in opening this bank account and then executing a wire transfer from my U.S. account, though all this took several hours. The problem is that the funds are not available in my new account for 3-5 business days. This means I had about $8, which was to pay for food, transportation, etc., until possibly next Wednesday. So it may be oatmeal, eggs, and peanuts, for the next 5 days. (Even though you do need water for oatmeal, alas.) The other option is borrowing from someone. Or worse, doing what these unfortunate people on the side of the road do. We'll see! Though this may mean that on Sunday I will have to convince one of the brothers to spring for beer when a bunch of us watch the World Cup final.

3.  No internet

I have gotten so reliant on having the internet at home that going a week without it, due to lack of funds, may create serious withdrawal symptoms. But this may give me an opportunity to read all of the magazines through September--good thing that they are already downloaded--and catch up on other studying. But it may be awhile before you see another blog update...

So...the secret of how to do without? Just do it!

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OK, enough of these mundane matters. Now let's consider the spiritual developments:

My records finally arrived from the previous congregation, so I'm now official here!

The Kigali English Congregation is planning soon to form an English group in a neighborhood on the other side of town (Nyamirambo). Also, the coordinator told me that he and the service overseer will be making special efforts to encourage the friends to take note of where the Chinese are, not just in Nyamirambo but all over Kigali, so that records can be made and the Chinese population can be adequately served.

A member of the branch committee told me that they are very interested in starting a Chinese class. This will be a real milestone, not only because it will be the first time the Chinese field has been addressed, but also because this will be the first-ever foreign language class conducted in Rwanda! There is another language spoken in the northern part of the country, and the branch is interested in having a class for this language also. But it sounds like the Chinese class will be the 'test case.' Since no previous class has been conducted before, the branch will very likely be the one to initiate the procedures, working with the local circuit overseer. So exciting times are ahead, and it's great to be part of the action!

Also, a couple of sources from Nairobi brought me Chinese literature recently, so now I have 3 Simplified Bibles and 1 Pinyin Bible!

It's interesting how the ministry, like life itself, has an ebb and flow. When I first got to Rwanda, I concentrated on the Chinese territory, obtaining 3 Bible studies in less than 3 months. But now, in the fourth and fifth months, since 2 of my studies went to China, the Chinese ministry seems to have diminished somewhat and I'm getting more English studies. You can't help, if you are preaching frequently, running into people (especially at the colleges) who are willing to study in English.

One recent experience I had was meeting this man on the street walking with his two small children. It turns out he is from Uganda--and therefore an English speaker--but married to a Rwandan who, according to him, is studying with a local publisher in Kinyarwanda. He said he even went to a meeting with her in Kinyarwanda in the downstairs auditorium of our Kingdom Hall but didn't understand much. (I told him, I can understand how you feel.) So I said, the English meeting is upstairs and, by the way, would you like to study the Bible in English? He took the Good News brochure and was interested in setting up a visit.

So, all in all, life here is definitely on the +++ side of the ledger, the minor inconveniences notwithstanding. And next week is the French convention here in town, so that will be something to look forward to!