Lesson of Contentment

“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, [therewith] to be content.”

 ~Philippians 4:11-12 ~

I've been more than blessed while living in Malawi these past 6 weeks. My first introduction to international missions and global health was with the National Association for the Prevention of Starvation (NAPS- AWESOME ministry www.napsoc.org), living in tent in a rural village in Zambia.  There was no electricity and no running water, so when it came to toileting, you used the “squatie” (an outhouse with a hole in the ground; hence the name J) and prayed it was either really cold so the flies and smell wouldn't get you; and on a good day, depending on the water situation (there was always a water situation), we bucket bathed (for the other days we used baby wipes…we all ended up smelling the same by the end of the 5 ½ mission J).  We used the same coal as those living in the community and cooked our food outside on a brazier.  Yes, by most people’s standards, “We roughed it!”  However, these were some of the best and happiest days of my life!  As in Zambia and many countries that followed (India, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Botswana, and Guyana), living simple and among the people, I not only learned to depend on God, but I was able to experience contentment on a whole new level!  I formed friendships for a lifetime and from all over the world! I gained a deeper appreciation for the country, the province/region/state/district, city, village, and for the families/individuals that occupied them.  It was like I could feel the pulse of the land.  Those countries became a part of me and I became a part of them. 

NAPS Zambia and America-Natukoma Village outside
our thatched wall compound (Zambia 2004)

Ernest and Regie- the tent where they slept for 5 1/2 weeks (Zambia 2004)

Keeping warm- the cooking brazier (Zambia 2004)

Fast forwarding 9 years later from my first overseas experience in Zambia, the scenery has changed.  Granted, it’s not home, but I can’t in the least bit complain! I’m not living in a tent in a rural village in the middle of “Nowhere” (yes, I know I’m being redundant… just emphasizing a point).  On the contrary, I live in a spacious guest flat (the British word for apartment) in the heart of Malawi’s city of commerce.  I don’t have to worry about flies attacking me when I want to use the restroom (not to mention the hike you have to take to get there… a beast when you have to go REALLY bad and it’s night!), I can get out of my comfy twin bed (not a sleeping bag!) and walk to my flushing porcelain toilet; then turn on the tap to wash my hands (Did I mention there’s running water???). And, yes, there’s hot water too!!! Yes, God is good!!!

my bedroom- very grateful for my mosquito net!

Variety of food choices and a table to set it on!

Yet, one would think that with my 9 years of NAPS training and 10 plus countries I've visited surely I wouldn’t have the remotest seed of discontentment when moving to my current residence in Blantyre, Malawi, right??? Sad to let you down, but yes! However, that quickly changed when I went to visit my bachelor’s earned account friend, Mary, this past Sabbath. 

Mary lives within walking distance of where I’m staying and we both work for the same Adventist hospital.  Like me, she could have chosen work anywhere else, making a lot more (Accounting is one of the top paying professions in the country), but she wanted to serve.  Like me, she is young and single.  Yet, unlike me, she lives in a very tiny, two room flat (one room’s for sleeping and the other’s for everything else; eating, washing clothes, cooking, etc…. by the way, there’s no indoor tap, fridge, or stove <she cooks on hot plates>). She has electricity (thank God!), but her toilet and shower are outside (and she has no hot water). So, considering that we are in the middle of Rainy Season, one can only imagine! Yet, despite the stark difference between our places of residence, Mary’s content.  Her tiny corner of a home (that’s probably the size of a standard American living room) is her space and she’s genuinely happy because she’s serving her Lord.  When I asked her if she ever considered moving (her mother lives nearby and is a very successful large-scale business owner), she said, “Yes, but, I know God has a purpose for me being here. Solomon was one of the wealthiest men of all time. David was a king and a man after God’s own heart. I’d like to think that there were other men/women, who had much less but, severed God just the same; people like John the Baptist, lived in the wilderness, wore camel’s hair, and ate locus and honey.   The prophet Jeremiah severed God while being beaten, jailed, and thrown in a cistern! He’s working on me and I want to be faithful” (basic summary of what Mary said). 

Humbled again!

“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, [therewith] to be content.”  Philippians 4:11-12

Tu hijita,

Joya