“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
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| Even though we've become friends, I still can't get my hand too close because she may bite me | ! |
The curious sight of a chicken nestled on the ledge of our bedroom window laying an egg, will certainly cause one to take a few moments to be still and contemplate the fact that God is most assuredly;
“Beautiful beyond description, too marvelous for words, too wonderful for comprehension; like nothing ever seen or heard. Who can grasp his infinite wisdom who can fathom the depths of his love?” Truly, it causes my soul to be in awe of Him. Isn’t amazing how God can use a plain ordinary chicken to stir our hearts to worship?
The chicken arrived at The Villages of Hope last month as a gift for me by the grandmother of one of the children that live at the village. As it was presented to me, I saw that it was tied up neatly in a basket quietly awaiting its fate. We untied it and let it walk around as we considered whether we should eat it that day or wait a few days. While I was certainly appreciative of the sacrificial gift, I really wasn’t feeling up to the task of beheading, defeathering, disemboweling, and dismembering the creature. So, we let the chicken walk around and become familiar with its surroundings. I tried to resist the temptation to give her a name because then we may become attached and it would be difficult to make a meal out of her, but I gave in and named her Maizy. After some days, I noticed that Maizy had developed a very regular routine of rising at 5:50am, foraging for food until around 10a, climbing onto our bedroom window to rest for about an hour and lay an egg, forage for food until 6pm and then climb into the tree outside of our window to sleep.Whenever Maisy appeared at the window to rest, it was inevitably during the time that I was having my Bible study time at my desk. I was able to look at her very closely and marvel at God's handiwork. I even discovered that when a chicken blinks, its eyelid goes up and covers the eye instead of coming down like mine does. Wow God!
See what kind of discoveries can be made when time is taken to be still? Here are some other delightful discoveries that I made while taking a moment to sit and talk with some of the children from the village as they were preparing to visit relatives over the school holiday. The conversation began in this way:
Sharpie: ""Auntie Kimberly do you know how to kill a hyena in the bush?
Me: No Sharpie, I can't say that I do.....do you?
Sharpie: Yes, I do! You have to make a gun out of branches and shoot it with monkey oranges!
Me: Oh my! Really! Where should I try to aim for, its head?
Sharpie: Anywhere, just shoot the monkey oranges and if it hits the hyena it will really hurt it!
And so began a very intriguing discussion on various hunting methods of creatures found in the African bush. I learned from several of the children the following helpful information:
- Baboons are very, very bad. They can snatch the slingshot out of your hand and use it on you! They also throw rocks. The best way to deal with them is to trap them in a tree and then set fire to the tree so that they can't get away.
- When hunting for mice to eat, I will need a bucket, maize and some water and string (I think). Anyway, I was advised that I could catch a lot of mice using this method as long as I set it up correctly. Also, I have to be aware of a certain type of mouse that makes it difficult to catch a lot of mice because this mouse won't let the other ones inside of the bucket trap, because it wants to eat the maize for itself.
- There is a type of squirrel that I need to watch out for. It is a chicken eating squirrel that can eat quite a few chickens over a period of a few days. I will need to catch it quickly otherwise it can completely steal all of my chickens and I won't have any left. (This is important for me to know I realize, because I wouldn't want Maizy to be in danger. I feel grateful for this tip.). When the squirrel is caught, it can be eaten. It tastes a lot like chicken.
Well, I feel a little more confident about my survival skills should I find myself stranded in some of the remote areas surrounding our village!
On a different note, We are looking forward to the visit of my sister and brother-in-law in two days. They will stay for two weeks and we will be returning with them on the 29th of this month. It has been three years since our last visit to the US and we are excited about seeing many of you, especially in the Delaware, Maryland, and Washington D.C. area. We will be visiting for the months of October and November, so please keep a look out for us if you are able!
We would like to invite you to pray with us about the following:
- Safe travel to and from the US
- Many opportunities for fellowship and sharing what God has been doing in your lives and ours.
- That God would provide a vehicle for our temporary use.
- Pray for Dick Mumba as he will be assuming many of Kamau's responsibilities while we are away.
- Pray for Ben & Kathleen as this will be a busy time for them as well.
- Praise God for touching the hearts of His people in providing the funds necessary to replace more than double the amount of chickens that were lost in the fire!
May God's peace and grace rest on you as you take time to be still and let Him delight you heart with fresh new discoveries!
The Kamaus
