Power

In underdeveloped countries there are some privileges not available that are in developed countries. You won’t find many smooth roads. You can’t get Reese’s peanut butter cups. You can’t buy 2% pasteurized milk. There are very few public parks. But the biggest fear of the American family is … duh-duh-duhn … no power.

Without power… think about it in your American home. No TV. No oven. No microwave. No fridge. No hot water for showers. No charging your phone or iPod.

But for us, recently, it’s been a way of life. The power goes off in the evening not to return until midmorning the next day. That’s just the way it goes. We have numerous candles located in logical positions around the house so that we can light them and have enough shine to not trip over things wherever we walk. We watch our movies before it gets dark, just in case we’d be blocked from finishing it due to power. Our oven is gas-operated. We haven’t had a microwave since we lived in America. We heat our water in the water-heater tank in the evening so that the water will remain hot into the next morning, then ration the length of use and amount of hot water. It’s life. I’m not complaining.

Okay, honestly, when have you ever said the claim, “I’m not complaining” and meant it? I’ll admit it, I kinda am complaining. I don’t mind the power going off at night, because I am the only one in my family that doesn’t use a fan at night. But when the power stays out all day long (like today) and prevents me from doing the school I need to catch up on is when I wish Eumeme (our power company) would turn our lights back on.

The generally assumed reason for the power outages was the dam they are building across the Nile river a few miles north of here. But, after reading a newspaper article, we found out that Eumeme (power company) didn’t pay its bill and is now on strict rations for the amount of power it receives. Then, we found out that it wasn’t Eumeme only that didn’t pay, it was the government itself. Who would have thought to blame the government for power outages?

When we were on furlough in America, the power went out once for about ten minutes. Oh man, were we excited about that. We missed the power going out once a week. I like candle-lit dinners and reading my Bible at night by candle flames. It has a sort of simplicity that brings one back to appreciating that simplicity.

The fan is now blowing its grace on me. The power is back. The boys are turning on the wii, the Christmas tree is aglow again. Dad turned off our generator. And our neighbors are starting up their music to blast out the night. (It’s Saturday.) Our anthem for our power goes along the tune of “There is Power in the Blood”

“There is power! Power!

wonder-working power in the house!

that we li-i-ive in!”