Tip of the Week-- April 16, 2015

So you find yourself in an African village, and it's bath time.  Are you prepared? Once you disappear behind those four mud walls, are you sure you know what you are doing?

The problem with learning a new bathing routine is that we most naturally learn how to bathe by watching others.  This stopped being appropriate sometime around the age of 6.  And asking about it makes for awkward discussions.  As always, I'm happy to help you out, and we'll even make a little Bible study of it.  Here is your Tip of the Week: How to take a bucket bath, Biblically.

Needed materials: Flip flops and a towel.  Technically the towel is optional, if you don't mind air-drying, and you can bum flip flops from someone else, if you are into that kind of thing.  ("And He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey...but to wear sandals.")

The first thing to know is that someone will, quite literally, draw your bath for you.  And they'll be asking you what water temperature you prefer.  (Consider this a luxury.)  On all but the hottest days, I recommend that you ask for at least lukewarm water.  Water directly from the well can be cool, and being exposed to the elements as you will be can cause more of a chill than you were bargaining for.

When the person comes back to let you know that everything is ready, you may proceed to the outhouse.  As you go, try not to feel guilty that this preteen girl has been up since before the sun and has been slaving over a fire to warm water that she pulled up from a deep well, so that you could sit around doing nothing before you took a bath.  There are some many things that can ruin your bath, don't let this be one of them. 

As a rule (for men...not for women, unless you are really old, then you can do what you like), I recommend going to the outhouse in as little clothing as is socially possible.  So if you are staying somewhere with lots of strangers, you'll probably need to go fully clothed.  If you are with just friends, you can wear a shirt and a pair of shorts.  If you are somewhere very comfortable, you can go in shorts and shirtless.  Remember, the fewer clothing items, the fewer things to organize on top of the mud walls, and the easier it is to get redressed.  Do not underestimate how hard it can be to get your pants on while standing on one flip flop, threading one wet, semi-dirty foot carefully through one pant leg, while trying to make sure the other doesn't touch the ground.

When you arrive to the outhouse, there are typically two divided sides.  One is the shower side, the other is the toilet side.  You are really hoping your bucket has been put in the shower side.  If the outhouse is a one-room-for-all, or there are so many people bathing at the same time (like at weddings) that you got the unlucky draw, the only advice I have for you is to stay as far away from the hole as possible.  Also, in the words of Jesus to Judas, "What you are about to do, do quickly."

A word on shower flooring:  If you find yourself on a concrete pad, say a quick word of praise to Jesus, and continue on happily.  Life is golden.  If it is a dirt/gravel floor, but someone has gone through the trouble of putting a rock slab in, stand on the slab. ("On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand!")  This controls dirt splatter as you splash yourself down, because such back-splash makes your efforts in getting clean, so much harder.  If neither of these amenities are available, try to stand wherever you can find the biggest gravel and best control splatter.  Steer clear of pre-existing puddles.

As most outhouse walls really only amount to half-walls, you are going to want to assume a crouching position as soon as possible. ("Sensible people foresee trouble and hide from it") This is also the most efficient way to use your water and makes sure you are splashing everywhere.  As you crouch next to the bucket, you start by cupping your hands and then quickly scooping the water to the area you'd like to wash.  If you are a genius, or your host is super nice, you'll have access to a large plastic cup that can be used instead of your hands.  (But this is technically a form of cheating.)

I'll leave it up to you the order in which you'd like to progress.  (I don't have to spell out EVERYTHING for you, do I?)  But we should talk about water usage.  First, the entire bucket is for you.  My first bucket-bath, I thought maybe it was greedy to use the whole thing, so I used about 1/3, only to realize, with embarrassment, my faux-pas when my hosts looked at me, bewildered, as I exited the bathroom with a mostly-full bucket.  No one wants to use your wash water after you...thanks.  Second, you will either come to the end of your bath with more water than you can possibly imagine using, or, half-way through sudding-up, you'll realize you need to go into emergency water conservation mode.  There is no happy medium.  When the water is abundant, just keep splashing until it is mostly gone.  Towards the end, you can raise the bucket over your head and pour it down you if you like.

Save a little water in your bucket.  Dry off and get dressed, still staying mostly out of view.  Good luck keeping your clothes clean and dry as you put them on.  Exit the outhouse, taking the bucket with you, and walk towards whatever location is being used to prepare bathwater (often the kitchen). ("[He] shall ... bathe his body with water, then afterwards he shall come into the camp.")  Before fully arriving, pull off the main path, and use the remaining water to rinse your feet, because "One who has bathed does not need to wash, except his feet."

Prayer Request

1. Pray that the Lord would continue to work in the village of Tiere.  (The village for which we've prayed a lot these past few weeks.)  Many people have been coming to talk with the Christian school teacher there, and one old man said the village was ready for our team to come back.  We will be looking into this.

2. This evening, a good friend will be bringing two young men to my house.  These guys have been asking a lot of questions about faith.  We will be watching the first Narnia movie, with the hopes that it will be a platform from which we can discuss all that Jesus has done for us.

3. This weekend, I will be travelling with my teammate and good friend Jason, and some of his closest co-workers from the hospital.  The goal is to thank these coworkers for their years of service alongside Jason, before he returns to the US later this summer.   Please pray that the trip would go well and would be a meaningful time for the guys and for Jason.

4. Pray for my friend Adama's fiancé who is not yet a believer.  She came with me to our Easter service (Adama had to work) and really enjoyed it.  Pray that her heart would be awakened to God's radical love for her in Christ.

5. Pray for upcoming board meetings for the hospital.  They will be next week and will include a lot of travel to see new health clinics that our organization has setup in rural villages.