Praying For Power

Today is Monday, which means that there are about 6 of us in our circle of friends who urgently turn our prayer time toward the local “Power and Light” authorities. You see, every Monday night, there is a group of us who gather at the international school to engage in the serving, bumping, setting, spiking, blocking, and digging of some pretty competitive volleyball. However, we have one problem – we cannot play if there is no electricity in the gym. Because Ethiopia relies on hydro-electric power, limited rain means the rivers are low and power must be rationed. Lately we have had rain, but one of the major power-producing sites was shut down while crews are working to repair a collapsed tunnel (you can google “Ethiopia collapsed tunnel” to read more if you want). So, nevertheless, power is not a guarantee. In fact, the last four Monday nights, the power rationing has blacked out on our Monday night volleyball plans. Maybe today…we’ll see.

 

Andrea played with us until about a month ago and although now she is feeling great, having the equivalent of a heavy ball belted to her mid-section limits her ability to dig out those tough ones. No doubt she will return to action after Sweet T makes his/her debut in the world. The play is at times fierce, as there is no mercy shown when one of the several young lads get a perfect set. In a way, it’s part of our training for future ministry. The Gmz people love volleyball and in some areas of the country they are REALLY good at it. Sure the rules aren’t always the same, and there is no shame in the best player hogging the whole court, but these guys are a force to be reckoned with! This weekend, we were told that in the particular area where we are hoping to move to, the Gmz men come in from the fields Monday-Friday evenings and play volleyball as the sun goes down. And, hey, we can count it as work time since we will be learning some essential Gmz “trash talk” vocabulary. “Eat that, Demelash!” We look forward to joining the Gmz on a regular basis. After all, our Almighty Creator God has yet to have to ration His light.