…And Then It Rained

The water pipes that brought water to the Jacksons’ house had been broken for several weeks before I arrived in Bamenda. Fortunately, it was rainy season, so the rain kept the water tanks full, and it didn’t really affect our lives for a while. However, two weeks ago, it looked like the dry season has begun. Each day without rain we took shorter showers, dealt with less water pressure, and lived by the rule, “If it’s yellow, let it mellow; if it’s brown, flush it down.” Chris kept trying to get the people in charge of fixing the pipes to actually do their job, but there was not much progress.

Then, Friday October 2, we turned on the faucet, and nothing came out. The next day, we were expecting a group of seven guests who were going to stay with us for the week (it was our October Break), increasing the number of people in our house to thirteen (not counting house-help and visitors), and we had no water.

All day Friday, Chris continued to talk to the people responsible for fixing the pipes, as well as carried out his ingenious plan of hooking up a very long hose to a neighbor’s water tank and refilling our tank. There was still no rain and no pipes, but we had water, at least temporarily!

We didn’t allow the minimal water flow to affect our October Break plans, so Monday, the eight ladies of the house and I went into Bamenda to go shopping. I had so much fun bartering, and I made a few friends with the sellers I bartered with. We finally gathered all our purchases together, braved the Bamenda traffic, stumbled into the house…and then it rained. It rained all night, guaranteeing full water tanks while we waited for the pipes to be fixed! I guess God decided that it wasn’t quite time for the dry season. He is such a faithful provider!

For the next few days, the thirteen of us went on a hike a day, and got soaked every one of those days! Tuesday, we drove up to the Fulani village where we had celebrated Sala, and hiked to the edge of a cliff and to a natural mudslide. On the way back to the village, it started pouring! Wednesday, we hiked to a huge rock formation to have a picnic lunch, and just as we spread out our food, the rain began to fall. Thursday, we hiked through a beautiful tropical jungle to a waterfall, explored for a couple hours, and just as we were about to start heading back to the car, the downpour began. We ended up wading through a creek, for the rains had flooded our trail!

Our adventure group after the hike to the waterfall

Not only did the rains spice up our adventures and give us extra exercise as we tried to outrun the storms, but it kept our water tanks full to the brim! In addition, by the middle of the week, all the new water pipes had been established and connected! Thank you so much for all your prayers—it was so exciting to see how God uses the intercessions of his people to make his faithfulness and power that much more evident. He showed his abundant provisions to us last week.

October break was a lot of fun. After we wore ourselves out with all our wet adventures, I got to introduce all the girls to the wonders of the Gilmore Girls show, and we had a Gilmore Girls marathon for 4 days straight! During our endless hours with Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, we got our hair braided, our toenails painted, and our energy renewed. It was so enjoyable to slow life down for a while and to spend some time with Karissa, who’s usually at school in Yaounde, and get to know the Naines, who were visiting from Yaounde for the week.

Gabby, me, Katelyn, Karissa, and Lum after we got our hair braided. :)

For a photo story of the first part of our week, you can go to this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2077774&id=68602443&l=5c03f21c64

Praises:

--The obvious one: we have water! Praise the Lord for providing for our every basic needs

--A fun, restful break

--Feeling loved and accepted by the whole Jackson clan

--Katelyn and Lum enjoy reading more than ever before! Reading is their favorite part of the school day, and Katelyn is reading a book that’s not a school book, which is a huge accomplishment!

Prayer Requests:

--Continued wisdom regarding teaching Katelyn and Lum—I want to maintain their love of learning, increase their skills and knowledge, as well as be a good role model outside of school.

--Restful sleep—I’ve been having some trouble with disturbing dreams lately, which throws me off when I’m trying to wake up and start my day with joy.

I am so grateful for all of you, and am praying for you as well. May you each continue living in faith of God’s provision and steadfast love. May you be content in all circumstances, knowing that God’s grace is sufficient.