Tip of the Week-- February 12, 2015

I know that my American readers are still, in many areas, shoveling themselves out from under the snow, but our cold season is sadly over here. The weather page yesterday predicted a high of 103˚F.  When I looked shortly after lunch, the actual temperature was 97˚F, with a "feels like" index of 107˚F.  That, judging by my sweaty brow, felt just about right.  So in honor of a precocious, and very unwelcome, start to hot season, I'm pleased to offer you the following Tip of the Week.

Sweat management is a fact of life in the Sahel.  This is especially true if you belong to the elite club of excessive sweaters.  Now, before you say, "Doesn't apply to me" and click off this blog, let me warn you that you may not know that you belong this special club until you live in an environment where perspiring becomes an every day, all-waking-hours activity.  A good number of "normal" people have moved here, only to realize that, given enough drinking water, they possess supernatural powers to extinguish fires with their pores--convenient if you are being burned at the stake, less so if you are trying to grill a steak. 

Being that, "I'm not only the president of Human Hydrants, but also a member," I feel uniquely qualified to offer you some of the best sweat control advice you are ever going to get.  You’ll want to do all the normal things like wearing loose-fitting clothing, drinking plenty of water, carrying a fan, and applying a good antiperspirant, but there are things they just don’t teach you in normal heat survival classes. 

1. Face sweat.  Nothing is more uncomfortable than trying to have a normal, everyday conversation while constantly needing to wipe sweat out of your eyes so that you can see your friend, who, coincidently, seems to have not so much as a faint glisten to their appearance.  The sweaty face seems to, for some reason, elicit an uncomfortable feeling in your friends and conversation partners, especially when it appears that your face might actually be melting. It is also, generally, frowned upon to allow beads of sweat to roll off the tip of your nose onto the plate of food you are about to serve guests.  (Most people prefer to add their own salt, thank you.)   

For all of these reasons, and more that I don't have time to mention, you are going to want to take some serious measures to control facial perspiration.  As tempting as it sounds to smear Old Spice all over your face, I must recommend against it.  It tends to leave traces and ultimately does very little control the rivulets that pour down from above the hair line.  Instead, always position your face into the wind, either natural or fan-produced--the drying effect more than makes up for the discomfort of dust in the eyes.  Never underestimate the positive effects of a haircut and a shave.  Most importantly, keep a handkerchief, or small towel if you are so inclined, with you at all times.

2. Salt Lines.  It is a rather fascinating study of human physiology to look at the white, salty lines left on your t-shirt after a day in sun.  The body's ingenious use of electrolytes and water to cool itself is quite praiseworthy. But...ultimately, this a study that is best done in the privacy of your own home shortly before throwing your clothes into your hamper. 

For this reason, I find myself torn in offering you the following advice.  I'm all about being economical and re-wearing clothes--good for the environment and saves on unnecessary wear-and-tear of clothing.  So that shirt you only wore for about an hour last night, should you wear it again this evening? Yes, absolutely!  Well... maybe.  See, the tricky part of this is, when you become so adept at sweating, at times you don't even realize that you've done so.  So you are going to need to check over these clothes carefully.  All the obvious spots are...well...obvious-- the arm pits, the collar, and the chest.  However, I find that the lower back is often neglected and hidden from view, your own view at least.  The wrinkled tail of your shirt that you assumed was terribly unimportant, just let everyone behind you know that: a.) you are wearing a dirty shirt, and b.)somewhere between your shoulder blades and your rear-end, a cesspool of body juices has formed and has been soaking into your shirt.  Not typically things you want to advertise.

3. The Unmentionable. My friends, butt sweat is real, and it is, against your greatest hopes, visible.  So unless you want to be named the newest band member of the Soggy Bottom Boys, you are going to need to spend some serious time thinking about this.

There are, thankfully, some ways to minimize this problem.  Since application of powders can only get you so far, seat selection has to be considered among the most important. Solid plastic surfaces and imitation leathers are to be avoided at all costs.  Hard surfaces, such as wood or stone, are preferred to foams and paddings (which tend to form-fit and envelop the sweat producing region).  Porous surfaces, such as string chairs, are ideal as they allow ventilation.  Trapped in a less-than-ideal seating arrangement, you are going to want to find reason to stand up often.  In between standing sessions, practice shifting your weight from one thigh to the next, allowing the non-supporting side a gentle lift-away from the seat surface. 

In closing, I wish you all the best this hot season.  May the Lord grant you dry breezes, shady sitting places, and lots of ice-cold beverages.

Prayer Requests

1.  Praise the Lord for a good turn-out at our village outreach.  The start of the day saw around 1000 people gathered for our health teaching.  This was more than we expected, and we had to make some last minute changes to accommodate everyone, which lead to some chaos.  However, in the end of it all, we really felt that it went well, despite so room for improvement.  Many asked great questions about our teaching, each group heard a Bible story presented by our story-telling team, and many turned out for the movie and message in the evening.  Please pray for the next outreach which will take place March 14th.

2. Eclé, a nurse at the hospital and a good friend, invited me to go visit his friend, Chaka, and his wife, Maimouna.  Both have serious health problems.  Ecle has been praying for them and sharing the Gospel with them.  They are both very open.  Pray for their healing, her of heart problems and him of migraines.  Pray that we would continue to have opportunities to share with them.  Pray that Ecle would be encouraged and guided in this friendship.

3. Continue to pray for Dr. Dan and Dr. Phila who both have heavy surgery loads.  Pray also that Dr. Phila and Josue, our CEO, would have lots of wisdom as they try to resolve a problem with some of our Malian doctors.

4. Pray that I would have both wisdom and balance as I seek to invest in some different ministries: village outreach, discipleship of Christian men here in town, and continued investment in the lives of young men that do not yet know Christ.

5.  Pray for my trip to Bamako next week to pick-up two pastors that will be speaking at our Prayer Retreat.  I will be meeting up with some friends while there--pray that these meetings would go well.