A year of living in the village has taught me so many things but I think the most poignant lesson of all has been the one of generosity. Our Masai neighbours, though many of them would be living below the poverty line, are extremely generous. In Australia, when reading through my Bible and coming across verses that encourage generosity I would have always linked this idea to money. Giving money is being generous. So what about when you don’t have money to give?
As the seasons change and the
rains come and the maize is planted and sprouts out greenery all over the
village I am reminded of the harvest season through which we lived last year.
It was a time of extreme generosity from our neighbours as we had been in
Australia when the maize was planted and therefore had nothing to harvest for
ourselves. Our neighbours saw this and almost every day I received children
into my house bearing gifts of beans, pigeon peas, maize, lentils and leaf
vegetables. Every time I visited a neighbour I came away bearing the gifts of
their generosity.
Generosity in the village doesn’t
just stop at food. My neighbours are always generous with their time, their
resources and their effort. I regularly have a group of girls come over who
help me out with whatever housework needs doing and whenever you visit someone
out here you can be sure they will have plenty of time to sit and chat with you
as well as serve you something.
Ownership is also something
subject to generosity as resources are always shared in the village. Don’t have
a ladder? Go to your neighbour and borrow theirs. Need a pump? Come to our
house as we own the only one in at least a 1km radius! Even though we have
found this at times a bit challenging as we have no idea where our spade or
spanner may be when we need it I choose to think of lending out our resources
as one way of being generous to those around us.
And so I am still learning.
Learning that when someone comes to my door and I feel like I have had enough
of visitors, I can be generous with my time. Learning that when I harvest
something from my vegetable patch I can give some of this to another. Learning
that when I visit someone I can use my effort to help them with something.
Learning that even when the tenth child comes to my door asking for water to
drink I can spare what God has so generously given me. Learning that even when
I have no money to give I can still be generous.
I hope you all had a wonderful
Easter remembering the most generous gift that God has given to us – His one
and only Son who died so that we may be forgiven. He is risen!! May we always
remember to be generous just like my neighbours.
