The Importance of Bean Sorting and Other Such Knowledge

It’s amazing that with two college degrees, I still have so much to learn from my Brothers and Sisters in a developing country, many of whom may not have even finished primary school.  For example, bean sorting.  What exactly constitutes a “bad bean”?  Clearly, the ones with worm holes or black mold are bad.   But what about the broken beans, split beans, or just plain wrinkly or discolored beans?  Fortunately my new friends are patient with me when I have to ask, “Is this a bad bean?”  And as lowly a job as bean sorting may sound, it is actually very important.  During my two hours of bean sorting this week, I realized that I had a big responsibility to keep people from getting sick from bad beans, or cracking a tooth on a stray rock...especially in a place where medical and dental care are inaccessible for most people.

Last Friday, the girls and I helped in the kitchen, rolling chapati.  It is actually very difficult to roll ROUND chapati.  Ours were more “artistic”.  My favorite one looked a little like a road-kill flat cat.  It is rather humbling, though, when the cooker person brings it back and says, “Not this one” and you have to squish it all up and start over.  Our new African friends are very nice and helpful, but I can tell they feel a little sorry for the poor mzungus who don’t know how to do anything!  

Yesterday, we ventured off to find an internet cafe that some friends told us about.  We had a crude map (think, “Turn left at the big rock, and right at the trees that are standing in a row.”), and walked for nearly an hour to get there.  About half an hour into our walk, we encountered a swarm of bees encompassing the entire path we were walking on.  Surprised, and fearful because Jason is allergic, we turned around and began to run away.  An old man, who had passed us going the other direction, saw us running and started shouting at us, “Hapana! (No!)  Pole pole (Go slowly!)”  We were confused by the gestures he was making because it looked as though he was motioning us to go back towards the bees.  We stood there, evaluating the situation:  a large hedge of thorny bushes to the left, a field of thorny weeds to the right, a swarm of bees on the path in front of us, and a safe path back home behind us.  As we started down the safe path back home, the old man approached us and gestured for us to follow him.  He is now affectionately known by our family as the “Bee Whisperer”, as he slowly and calmly led us right through the swarm of bees and delivered us safely to the other side of the danger so we could continue on our journey.  We later learned that it is common knowledge in Africa to just walk slowly through bees.  Hakuna Matata. 

Today, we had our first off-campus church experience.  The adventure (and I do not use that term lightly), was yet another humbling reminder of how much we have to learn about surviving in East Africa.   Fortunately, we were led by our new friend, Festo from Uganda, who took very good care of us clueless mzungus.  

We left at 8:15 a.m. to get to church by 10:00 a.m.  We started out by walking about 45 minutes to catch the first of two matatus (15-passenger vans used as buses).  The first matatu ride was fairly comfortable, with only 19 people inside.  The second ride got a bit more cozy with 21 people.  We made it just before church started, stayed for the 1-1/2 hour service, and took about the same amount of time to get back.  (For those of you wondering how a church service in Africa could end so soon, it was a mzungu church.)  The final matatu on the way home was a record-breaker, even for Festo who is used to over-crowded matatus.  We topped out at 26 people...several of whom were literally hanging out the windows!  This experience gives an entirely new meaning to HOVs (High Occupancy Vehicles!).  

On the last leg of our journey home, which was walking about 2 miles from the main road back to the YWAM base, we encountered multiple vehicles zooming past us from both directions.  Picture a dirt road with no sidewalks, and matatus and motorcycles driving on the opposite side of the street than we are used to (except when they cross over to dodge large potholes or other oncoming vehicles).  Suddenly we realized we had no idea which side of the road was safest to jump to when a vehicle came barreling by.  It was Festo who enlightened us... In Africa, you actually walk single file down the middle of the road, so the cars can pass on either side.  Who would have thought!?!?!  Had it not been for Festo, we would still be wandering aimlessly around Arusha Town, or worse yet, we might be resembling the road-kill hedgehog we saw on our walk yesterday.

“Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes, or powerful, or wealthy when God called you.  Instead, God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise.  And He chose those who are powerless to shame those who are powerful.  God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important, so that no one can ever boast in the presence of God.”     I Corinthians 1: 26-29.