Still No Power, Well, Regular Power

First off, you might be interested to know that this week’s post was first written in pencil. You may also be interested in why that is. Power outages are frequent here at Father’s House, so the fact that we lost power on Sunday [August 12^th] didn’t really upset anyone, and things went on as they usually do when the power goes out. What was odd was what happened when the power came back.

We first noticed something was strange when people were getting quite a in their hands from flipping the lights on and off. Then our dinner was slightly delayed because the stovetop was zapping everyone. Those of us who didn’t feel what the others professed were getting annoyed that the stove wasn’t getting cleaned. I was one of the doubters who for some reason weren’t getting jolted by the stove. I placed my hand on the stove and said, “See, there’s nothing to worry about.” I then reached out to take the reluctant stove-cleaner’s hand and show him everything was fine. I can only imagine the supprize on my face when the electricity suddenly passed through me and the young man’s well-grounded bare feet.  There was clearly a serious problem with our wiring. Today [Tuesday the 14^th] we have an electrician checking out the problem, and hopefully he will find a solution.

As long as I am on the subject of Father’s House maintenance let me briefly share another story. A problem of similar significance happened about a month ago. An extremely large crack was discovered in the water tank on the boy’s side of the house. This tank also serviced the kitchen and landry room. One afternoon (a Wednesday I think) we hulled jery-cans full of the remaining water in the tank to the girl’s side of the house. This simple task took 9 people around 4 hours to complete. Then the real work began. The entire surface of this enormous water tank had to be hand chiseled away so that new concrete could be poured. The entire process took close to two weeks and all the while we were without forced to hand was an enormous amount of clothes that piled up with two washing machines out of commission. We also had to lug water from the girls side to the kitchen. It was a little difficult to work around, but it was kind of fun at the same time.

Now we find ourselves working around no electricity, but by the time you read this it will already be fixed. In the mean time we continues to pray that God will give the gift of a soft, repentant heart to some of the boys here that they might grow father into God’s kingdom.

I have more good news. I have found out that I have plenty of funds to get home in September. I just need to send an email to affirm the purchase. The only thing I have yet to see God do is extend my visa until the departure date (I will need the ticket to do that).

Here ends the penciled update.

Now, to get things up to speed.

The electricity is still out, but we run the generator every once in a while for a few hours to pump water, wash cloths, charge computers, check emails, and various other things. This, however, is very expensive. The problem around the electricity has been discovered. It appears that the original electrician only used the proper wire on the visible parts of the house.  The longer portion of the wire is running under ground to the power company’s pole and is of subpar quality. It seems that the electrician swapped out a cheaper wire and pocketed the extra cash. This now has to be replaced at a great expense to Father’s House, and we are already pressed for resources as it is.

We went into town to request my visa extension, but we had the wrong form, so we will have to try again on Monday. I now know that there at least used to be a 10 day grace period to get an extension in, so my fears are greatly calmed. I am very happy that I waited on the Lord, and I am confident that He will take care of this matter. Getting another visa when I return will be another adventure.

I picked up I and Thou by Martin Buber today, and it made me reexamine the way I was looking at God taking care of things. He said, “Every means is an obstacle. Only where all means have disintegrated encounters occur.” I was thinking of God as a means to staying in Uganda among other things. I had completely forgotten that He called me to be here. He was the initiator of this adventure and that He wouldn’t just leave me such a state as needing Him for something else. I forgot that I need Him for Him. I forgot that I need to encounter God. I need relate with Him as a son to his Father. I’m no expert on Buber’s philosophy, and I often am confused by the things he said in his book, but I am often amazed by the things I do understand, at least a little. I find it very challenging in the right sort of way. I need to quit trying to use God out and begin to enjoy every grace filled encounter I am offered.