How encouraging it was this morning when I visited old MayeApete’s house and found a young guy chopping fire wood for her! How unusual in this culture for someone from one family to help someone from another family. As you may know, MayeApete was nearly abandoned by her family by the time she became friends with Nadia – our own little Mwinika mom! She is too old to contribute or do her share anymore and her was left by her family, like many other elderly people here, to slowly die of age and neglect.
So imagine my wonder when I found this young man, no relation to her, sweating to chop her fire wood! (With a broken axe, none the less!). Oland (the wood chopping guy) is one of the Bible teacher’s, Vrydag, disciples. Vrydag, as you may already know, was a religious leader from a prominent Middle Eastern religion when we arrived a few years ago. He was very excited to have us here because, he said “I want to know God and what God says, but can’t understand the language of our holy book.”
Vrydag, also a close neighbour, became a believer two years ago and since then has started his own study group to teach people (especially young men) from God’s Word. Oland is one of the young guys “sitting at his feet”, learning about God and what it means to be a believer in Christ Jesus… resulting in helping the helpless, for no reason but living what he believes!
Not only this guy started to chip in and help MayeApete, but the last few months we have seen a real change in the community’s attitude towards her. Now when I visit her, I always find her sewing a “nttatthu” (weaved matt the Mwinika sit and sleep on). (After the matt is woven, it is still only in a long string, about a hand’s width and rolled up into a big “wheel”. The strip must then be sown together to form a folded over matt that one can sit or sleep on. Or, if it is cold, slip into – rather like a sleeping bag!) Sewing a matt together is the one task MayeApete can still do and contribute to the community in some small way. So, now there is a constant stream of people bringing their matts to her to sew, paying her an amount per matt that can buy her all her food for the day. We continue to contribute food to MayeApete (cooking for one extra person and sending her the meals), but what a huge encouragement to see the Body of Christ starting to function! #img3# And MayeApete? Despite receiving Christ during the first time’s Bible teaching, and finding her peace in Him, she was often depressed when I visited her. She was alone and felt abandoned… The image of her laughing, radiating face this morning will forever be impressed on my mind:
“My daughter,” she excitedly said, “the believers are chopping my wood!” She looked like a new woman… She is not alone anymore. She is now part of a New Family!