Ants

A close encounter

We've just come back from a break in St Lucia (South Africa) followed by the BMS Africa retreat where we all had a great time.  We’d caught up with BMS friends and colleagues, done plenty of safaris (including one in a Kayak and another on a horse).  I think we’d eaten more meat in a week than we’d eaten in the entire time since we left the UK! We’d had time for ourselves, each other and the children. Throughout the retreat we’d had great teaching from Haggai and felt ready to take on life in Beira with a fresh energy before we return to the UK in May.  We realised we’d been ground down by some of the challenges of everyday life but were determined not to be got down again.  No more moaning about potholes, no more only talking about work and no more of the complaining. More time to be spent with God, with each other and looking for the positives in every situation.  With this new energy we arrived back to our house.

The following are some of the things that had happened while we had been away for less than two weeks.

Isaac, Naomi and Sammy,
 not looking very scared at all

1. One of our guards had been severely ill with a bad bout of Malaria.

2. A dispute to the south of Sofala Province between the police and supporters of the ex-rebel group  RENAMO led to violence in which seven were killed including several police officers and tension across the country.

3. A group of organised robbers down a road where some friends live had systematically stripped parts out of several cars.

Keeping a positive outlook was already looking like a challenge and then there were the ants…

These tiny housemates have been with us for months and we had hoped they might vacate the property in our absence but no luck.  On the night we got back, we climbed into bed only to discover that they’d moved in between the covers. We stripped the bed, sprayed, and sprinkled baby powder around the bed to discourage them from returning to their new found home.  The following night the same happened in Isaac’s bed and since then the little creatures decided to make a home of our sofa whilst we were trying to chill out one evening. 

When the children are playing on the floor, the ants are there. When you cook, they’re there. When you pick up the kids toys, they’re there. To make it worse, when the ants feel threatened they bite; they may only be tiny but trust me they hurt! So much for the no complaining and the positive attitude, we've been talking about!  The plan for a fumigator to come and blight the little creatures is our current preferred topic of conversation.

Almost all of our IMC Africa friends on retreat

However, when we honestly look at things we have plenty to be thankful for. Beautiful sunshine on a daily basis, food to eat, good friends and great beaches nearby all help us to carry on with what we’re here to do. After all, it’s only a few weeks until we get to see UK friends and family and visit churches for our first home assignment.  Let’s hope the ants will take the hint and go on holiday too!