The Little Things

We got the most exciting new today! We’re getting a STOVE!!! Now I know that this seems like a simple and weird thing to get so excited about but it made Samantha and I literally dance around our room with joy. So far in this adventure we have been doing all of our cooking on a little apartment sized stove. The thing about this stove is it has three burners, but only one that works and the temperature is uncontrollable. This means you just turn the dial till it clicks and the burner turns red instantly, you have to stand next to what you’re cooking to stir it constantly since there’s only one temperature, HOT. Now the stove we have also has a warmer and an oven, but neither of these works. So for the past month or so we have been cooking one item at a time and lots of rice, beans and vegetables; nothing baked. So many different possibilities are being opened up, we will be able to make so many different types of food we’ve haven’t had since we left home.

A couple of weeks ago we came home from spending time at one of our friend’s home and out of the blue I decided to try the hot water faucet. Now up to this time we couldn’t even get water out of the hot water side, let alone hot. When I turned the faucet cold water came pouring out. WE HAVE WATER! We didn’t even care if it was cold, it meant there was a possibility that it would become hot. Now the way that hot water works here in Malawi, each house has a geyser switch that basically turns on the hot water heater, and then once you’re done with the hot water you switch it off to conserve power. Samantha switched on our geyser and we left it on a couple of hours Friday night and then turned it again on Sabbath morning. It worked! We got HOT SHOWERS!! After 2 ½ weeks of freezing cold showers they become very dreaded and infrequent and you completely forget how a hot shower even feels. The moment the hot water hit my face I felt every care melt and finally clean.

When we look at how busy our lives are in the States and all the little things we take for granted daily its incredible. When I was home I would of never second guessed being able to take a hot shower or go into the kitchen and bake something. It’s incredible how such little things as hot water or a new stove can fill your heart with joy and absolute excitement.