Worry Wart

I often wake up in the morning worrying about things that I will have to face that day, some important and some not. I think that we all do that, no matter how easy or difficult our lives are. And we all worry about different kinds of things, but at the time we are worrying about them, they seem very important even though they might not really be. There are many things we have to worry about: simple things like what we will cook for dinner that day or remembering to get gas in the car before we run out; complicated things like worrying about a sick child who is not improving or paying bills when there is little income; and things that may be considered frivolous but in that moment they are important, like who will take the dog to his behavior class that today and does Macy's still have that cute sweater in stock?

But in the U.S., there are things that we rarely have to worry about, such as will there be electricity today? Will water come out of the taps when I turn it on? Will the schools be open today or will the teachers be on strike? Will there be gas at the gas station or will there be a petrol strike? Living in Africa, these are things that I now have to worry about. And you know what? It's a little bit refreshing because it makes me thankful for all the things we don't even think about in the U.S.! Yes, there are days I want to cry and complain because everything seems so difficult. But when I turn on the tap and water comes out it makes me thankful, surprisingly thankful.

As far as water is concerned, we've been having a difficult time getting it. My water comes from a deep well called a bore hole. The water is pumped from the bore hole by the hospital down the street. They pump it every morning and evening into a holding tank, then it is pumped to several houses, a guest house, and last but not least, my apartment. Once it gets to my apartment, it goes into a holding tank in the ground. I have to pump it into a tank which sits above my apartment. Even if my lower holding tank is full, if the upper tank is empty, I will not get any water in the taps. Okay, to add complication to complication, in order to pump the water, we have to have electricity. (No, don't imagine me outside laboring over one of those old fashioned hand pumps! It's actually a small machine that runs off of electricity and does all the hard work for me!) If there is no electricity, you guessed it, we don't get water. Lately, there has been very little electricity. And since the hospital pumps water to several houses and the guest house before it gets to me, by the time it gets here they are almost ready to turn off the pump (they only run it for a limited time during the day). So I have to go outside daily and check my lower holding tank to see if I got any water. If I didn't, I have to send someone to buy water from some guys on the street who sell big containers of water. So these days, the first thing I think about when I wake up is water. Actually, this is how it goes in my mind:

Hmmm, I wonder if I got any water pumped into my holding tank? Is the electricity on? If I have any water in my lower tank, I need to pump it into my upper tank right away. Will I have enough water to take a shower? If the electricity isn't on, do I have enough petrol in my generator to run the pump for a little bit? If I didn't get any water, I will have to wait till my house helper comes so he can buy water for me. Will he be able to find anyone selling water today? Has the price in water gone up? Will the water be okay or will it be really dirty?

It amazes me sometimes to think that I never had to worry about this in the U.S., that there are people that never think about where their water comes from and whether or not they will have it that day. Thankfully, I can trust the Lord to take care of these little worries for me. And it's wonderful that He cares so deeply for me that He cares about even the smallest of my worries, even the most basic things. And on those rare mornings that I wake up and the electricity is on, my lower tank has water in it, and I can pump it all into my upper tank and know I have enough water for the day, it makes me especially thankful for those basic things, the things I never had to think about before but can now rejoice when I have them. Even when I don't have them, I can still praise the Lord that He is taking care of me and that I don't have to be a worry wart!