Brown-Out

It was a night that seemed like any other Melanie and I had experienced before in Lusaka.  Just around the time that we turned in for our beauty sleep, we noticed something seemed to be a liiiiiiittle different and we couldn’t quite pick out what it was.  Without giving it much thought we turned in for the night hoping that it would be gone by the morning…  Well, it was not gone and Melanie and I are glad to say we survived our first “Brown-out”. 

Ok, I hope you weren’t too worried about us.  It really wasn’t as scary as I may have made it out to be. 

Melanie and I noticed around 10:30 last night that our lights were slowly dimming and our fans were turning at half the normal speed.  The lights were only slightly flickering by the time we went to bed.  When we woke up this morning, the electricity was in the same condition.  The morning routine of oatmeal in the microwave was put to a screeching halt.  (No worries though, the stovetop seemed to working just fine so oatmeal it was!) 

We just couldn’t figure out quite what was causing it so we decided to ask our neighbors Sharon and John if their electricity had been acting funny.  When they replied “No.” we were a bit concerned it was something we did/were doing.  After several of the missionaries joined in their efforts to help figure out the problem, a call to the electrical company was in order.  Mel and I had experienced our very first “Brown-Out”.

By the time Melanie and I returned home this afternoon, the entire power was shut off as well as the power to the seminary and even the shopping mall about a mile down the road.  We wanted to take credit for making the power go out for the entire city, or at least as far as we walked but apparently it wasn’t from us. 

The brown-out definitely made our day a little less productive than usual.  We still had class with the wives and our tutoring sessions with the children - thankfully, no electricity really needed for either of those! 

We finished our day off with a Lenten service at Bethel Lutheran Church where missionary Phil Birner preached on the sermon theme “And lead us not into temptation”.  What an amazing reminder God spoke to us tonight that from the time of our baptism he claimed us as his own.  “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” Hebrews 13:5.  Though the devil, the world, and our sinful nature work to tempt us, the power of the cross reigns.  I am still humming the closing hymn “Abide with Me” and reflecting on the message that hymn brings:

                   “Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;

                   The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide;

                   When other helpers fail and comforts flee,

                   Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me

                   I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;

                   Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness;

                   Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?

                   I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

                   Hold Though Thy cross before my closing eyes;

                   Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies;

                   Heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;

                    In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.”

God’s blessings to you as you abide with Him!

Hugs,

Kelsi and Melanie