Having Enough

This article was originally written as a devotional piece for those traveling to Tanzania with the medical group serving Ilula Hospital.  It has become a favorite of SOTV travelers. Thank you to author Kathy White, a nurse from Gethsemane Lutheran Church in St Paul.

I am sitting here drinking a cup of AfriCafe, this instant coffee that is ubiquitous throughout Tanzania. Drinking AfriCafe reminds me of Sarah, the woman who cooked for us at Ilula. In my house I went to the tap and got a cup of water. It would not cross my mind that there could be no water coming from the spigot or that it might not be clean water. I put it into the microwave. Three minutes later I had a cup of clean boiling water. In Sarah’s house, she starts by going to the well at sunrise. The water from that well is brackish, not sweet and clean. The well sits on the top of the hill overlooking the town of Ilula. Sarah has a house in that town. Her house is about the size of my daughter’s bedroom. It is made out of kiln baked bricks created from the soil of Ilula. Those bricks are sort of an upgrade. Really poor people in Tanzania make their own from the soil and dry them in the sun.

So if Sarah still wants that cup of coffee, she brings a 5 gallon bucket of water to this house she has in town. She typically carries it on her head and spills very little on the trip. Each drop is an expression of life and who would want to spill that? The town is fortunate to have this well. Many towns in Tanzania do not have water nearby and the women must walk for miles each day to get water. She brings the water to the cooking area.

If Sarah still wants that cup of coffee, she must next make a fire. Sarah starts the charcoal fire. Sarah heats the water for her coffee in one of the cook pots she owns. In my kitchen there is a new stove and a microwave and so many pots, pans and cooking gadgets that we have no place to store all the stuff and it sits on top of the kitchen cabinets.

If Sarah still wants that cup of coffee, she will boil some water and make it now. This is presuming she can afford the coffee in the first place. The AfriCafe costs about two dollars for a four ounce can. This is pretty extravagant. I spend $3.50 on a cup of Caribou coffee labeled “Fair Trade”. I wonder if the people who make the twenty cents off the coffee beans think it’s such a hot deal? Sarah has a small garden in the back of her house and grows vegetables for her family. I have two Chinese restaurants, a Dairy Queen, a Burger King, a Hardees and a Caribou Coffee shop within walking distance of my home, not that I ever walk to them.

Yet I never heard anyone in Tanzania complain about their house or the food or the medical care. I did hear them sing praises to our God with all of their soul and all of their strength. I was unable to understand the words but I really understood the faith. I am in awe of that kind of faith. I am wondering if I have enough to praise God in the same manner ? How much stuff do I need until I have enough?

Prayer: “Lord, I am astounded at all you have made and how richly I have been blessed with material possessions and a comfortable life. I have more than I could ever use and nevertheless I often find myself wanting more. Help me to discover the gift of having enough. Help me to see to it that my neighbors have enough as well. Bless this group gathered here tonight. Help us to be Your hands and feet here on earth. Give us the courage to reach out to others and share what You have given to us, Amen.”