It has been
awhile since I have posted on this blog and that is because I have been very
busy trying to get everything that is required by my school done. Recently
though I have gone on a very good excursion to one of the surrounding towns and the
surrounding villages of that town. One of the local missionaries here took me a long with
him to visit in remote villages of the Sindh province. We stayed in his home
village for a couple of nights and during the day we travelled around to surrounding
villages to share with the villagers there.
There
were many new experiences for me, not only in the ministry side, but also in
normal everyday logistics. For example I learned how to take a bath under a
hand pump in a public setting. Or learning how to use a squatty toilet with
shawar Kameez (local dress) on. Both of these are very difficult when you come
from the west. I also had to learn to
squat and pee, because standing is not acceptable here. I found this very
difficult (shout out to the ladies who always have to do it this way)
As
well we slept on charpies (cot like beds made of woven rope with a wooden
frame) under the stars. My camping experiences helped me get through this, but
the first night I got bitten by a lot of mosquitoes. The second night when I
was offered a towel to go around my head I accepted it. I learned that to
survive the night without getting too many mosquitoes bites you have to put a
light towel over your head. It also helps against the very annoying buzzing
sound that I find more annoying then the bites themselves.
If
the village is lucky enough to have electricity, there is a little electricity
that makes it to the villages, but not much. I asked why this was the case and
the main reason I received is because there is no production being done in the
villages so they don’t need it. As well, this is because of the high rate of
people who do not pay for their electricity. So the electricity would only come
on for about 30 minutes, sometimes all day, or very sporadically throughout the
day.
Villagers
cook with wood fires usually outside, but they will also cook inside, which can
cause problems. Many of the villager’s houses burn down because they are made
only of straw. Sometimes mud is used if the village is a bit more established,
but even this can burn with such a high straw content. Unfortunately many
villagers loose their houses because of fire every year.
This
was the case with some of the villages we visited. Some people lost everything
they owned, which was not much, because their houses caught on fire. One
village had completely burned down; all that was left was one house. We visited
and prayed with them. This is not the only village though; we visited two other
villages that experienced the same thing. What little they have is completely
lost. One village we found out was burned down because their kids were playing
with matches. The parents all have to go to work the field during harvest time
and so the younger kids stay at home by themselves. This is not the safest arrangement,
but for them it is about survival. Unfortunately one of the kids was playing
with matches and the houses caught on fire.
If
its not dealing with fire, these villagers have to deal with rich landowners
who can make it very difficult for them. A lot of the time it is serfdom, with
people working just to survive and if they do not do as they are told, they
loose everything. They also have to deal with health problems. We prayed for a
lady who had TB, a man who had a bad heart. Many of the children in the
villages suffer from some form of sickness or another. After we got back a few
days later my missionary friend told me that a lady had died giving child birth
at one of the villages we had visited.
It
is not an easy life. Yet these people are so full of hospitality, when we came
and visited them they made sure we had a cold drink, tea, or something to eat.
The hospitality of these people is quite amazing. Some of them would invite you
to spend the night and eat dinner with them.
With
so much need it is hard to know where to help. But we were able to share our
love with them, and a few love offerings to help them get back on their feet. It
was really good to see everything first hand and to be able to pray for them
and share with them and to see their eyes light up with hope. It really is a
great ministry that my friend is doing and I hope those who read this can pray
for him and the people he visits.
Traveling
was not very easy either. We travelled by public transport, which is a van
stuffed with people. They stuffed four grown men per seat, which was made to
comfortably have two people on it. I did not think I could fit in such a small
space, but somehow I managed most of the way. It was a 3-hour trip one way and
on the way back I started to feel claustrophobic as my face was basically
touching the guy in front of me. I longed to jump out and walk. Finally when
the van got close enough I told my friend I had had enough and we walked the
rest of the way.
The public
transport is just not made for big westerners like myself. Neither are the
beds, my feet were hanging off, and every time I went through an opening I had
to bend down. This is why it is so important to support the local nationals who
go and visit these local villages to offer hope. I have learned first hand the
importance of supporting these guys in their work. Regardless of the little
trouble I went through, it was eye opening and worth the visit.
