Letter 25 – Shipment

Shipment
Well our shipment all came in time for Christmas. We had hoped for it to arrive in September shortly after our arrival, but it didn’t and now we have lived for over three months without all of the stuff we so diligently gathered and packed over 6 months ago.
I feel embarrassed by all the drums and crates now stored in the garage. So much stuff and we have lived quite comfortably without most of it. There are things that were definitely needed, specifically Perry’s tools and key supplies for work and ministry. But it is clear that there is much we didn’t need. We ended up throwing away some food items like the powdered milk because they had been in transit so long they had gone stale. However, I must admit I am really thankful for the canned meats and vegetables. Meat is so hard to get here. They are available here but so expensive. So it is a mix of happiness and questioning as we begin to unpack.
And then there is the challenge of figuring out how to organize and store it all. We are assigning drums for the boys’ stuff and for food and so forth. A lot of people have been watching us work through the shipment. I think some are hoping that maybe there is something for them in there as well. I didn’t even think about that when we were buying and packing. I didn’t think about what the nationals would think seeing us with all this stuff. Sometimes we get so focused on ourselves.
Perry is happy about the tools and having his books. But he is also realizing that much of it is based on access to electricity and we often do not have access to electricity. We will need to run the generator anytime he wants to use a power tool. Work will go faster with his tools, but that will depend on if we have fuel.ight now there is a serious shortage of that, so the excitement is tempered by the reality of life.
On a positive note, all our Christmas stuff has arrived in time for the holidays. I also wonder how much of it is appropriate now that we have been here for these few months and become acquainted with the people and their culture. We will have to wait and see. Some of it may never see the light of day as we learn more.
As I study the drums and crates and look at the packing lists, I pause and think about the first Christmas and what is really important. Jesus entered the world as a baby. His parents had nothing but each other. Jesus left everything behind with the purpose of entering our world and our life so we could be restored in our relationship to God. I pray that the people around will not look at all the stuff that we have brought, but that they will see that we have come to share that same message with them.
So much of what we have brought is about making our life easy and not about ministry. Lord help me to keep my eyes on you and what is truly important and not get caught up in the stuff. What we possess has so little to do with what is really needed.
I do have to admit though that it is nice to have some familiar things from home. Thank you Lord for them.
Nancy
What do we really need to be able to live and serve in another culture?