MEAL AND PROBLEMS

We have been buying a lot of mealie meal lately. Every time we go to town we pick up as many bags as we can (there is a limit due to shortages), if there is any-often the shelves are empty. We are buying meal for people out here so they don’t have to take transport or ride a bike 20 km into Chongwe to get it. No, it is not free, they pay us for it, or if they can’t, a few have been able to work for it. This is hungry season. Corn won’t be ready to harvest for a while yet.
We also get many people who come up and want to talk to us about a “problem.” Often they need money so they will try to sell us something or work for it. Sometimes we say no of course, we can’t do it all. Kelly has more of a problem saying no than me, she often refers them to me. We have 12 students here now who work as part of their scholarship to be here-we have to have enough work for them first, so some times there isn’t any thing for them to do. We want to be helpful, but not enable. This ties in with gift giving some too. Most of the people that come up DO NOT want handouts, and they don’t want to be seen as crooks either. They have a healthy respect for us, maybe because I am not afraid to say no, or pay for shoddy work. This past summer many of the locals got to know me. Again, I was their boss, but they have reciprocated respect, because I treated them with respect. They shared meals with me, joked with me, etc. And we do want them to feel they can come to us with problems, and know we will help as best we can. There is no right or wrong or set guideline for how we can help. Each case is different, each person is different, and you just need to trust that the Holy Spirit is going to lead you in what, if anything to do.