Hassles of Progress, Peace of Simplicity

The past three days have been filled with hassles. I need to get a newsletter out by the 15th of the month. That in itself is not a problem. The problem came when I discovered that it would be a lot cheaper to print the color copies myself than to pay to have them done (about $400.) So, I purchased paper and ink cartridges. The problem started when my computer didn't have enough "virtual memory," whatever that is. And, since I had so many color pictures in my newsletter, the memory filled up rather quickly causing the printer to run very slow. So, I decided to copy the newsletter and not print it from Word. That was much better. But, I could only program the copier to run 9 copies at a time. So, I needed to stay near my desk/printer/copier. If I ran my computer while I was copying, things again went VERY slowly. (A computer geek friend will work on my computer this weekend.) Anyway, several ink cartridges later, my newsletter is printed! But, I found a typo. Let's just pretend a spelling "completion" is something Ghanaian.

I took the newsletter to church to have it folded. The machine kept taking anywhere from 2 to 4 sheets of paper at a time. Plus, some were very nicely folded into acordians. I ran out of envelopes and had to pick up another box while at church. And the hassles will continue until this is finally in the mail.
While in Ghana, life was so simple. You either had electricity or not. You had water or not. Each day began with sun up and ended at sun down. There were no computers (at least not for me), no folding machines, few envelopes, no mass mailings. Life was simple.

The day started with Scripture and prayer and Bible study. Then, a simple breakfast and getting ready to walk to the hospital for devotions and prayer rounds. After that, sometimes a visit with a friend or a Bible discussion with a pastor. Next, walk home and prepare for my next sermon - without the help of any of my study Bibles. Many afternoons were spent in Scripture and prayer or visiting the kids at school or possibly walking back to town to go to the market. Cooking was simple, laundry was done by hand, garbage was buried or burned. Life was at a simpler pace. If one thing got done, it was a good day. The focus was not on how much one got done, but on the people you saw, spoke with, worked beside. People cared about people, invested time in relationships, and were honest and not superficial.
Simplicity. Relationships. Peace. I love life in Ankaase. I can't wait to go back!