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Kkalwe school is a lively place! Our approach is on another nameless stretch of red dirt ribbon, textured with deep ruts – reminding us that rain can change the landscape around us. Our driver and friend, Eriab Kawuba, navigates the terrain as best he can but the old Toyota van still bounces and rubs it’s way down the road. Eriab never spends his english frivolously and this is no exception, he glances at my expectant face as I ride shotgun, and says “Here.” Looking ahead I see children on either side of the road waving branches and jumping up and down. As we pull up to the school compound we are ushered out of the van in a sea of brown faces and hands and eyes and smiles. Paul is the Headmaster of Kkalwe School and he greets us heartily as his face wears a smile so big that it has run out of face.
After exchanging the customarily long greetings that are culturally appropriate in East Africa, we walked over to inspect the 10,000 liter rain collection tank that sat next to the building. Every Time I see one of these big black behemoths I am always amazed that love can take such a large, awkward shape. This water project was funded by a small church north of Albany, NY called Rolling Hills Christian Fellowship. There are only a few families in that small community but they were moved by compassion for the children at Kkalwe School and provided the funds to install this tank. Looking at the installation I noticed that despite the large cement base, the tank was overhanging about a foot on the front edge. I was concerned because the weight of the water can press down on that overhang and cause a stress fracture that can eventually split the tank.
I laughed at the explanation for this odd placement of the tank. Apparently the length of downspout that connects the gutters to the tank was too long and Paul does not own a hacksaw to trim it so the tank can be slid back to the center of the base. The school doesn’t have a hacksaw either among their tools; nor does anyone else in the village of Kkalwe. The future stability of those students and teachers was resting on a hacksaw. What could we do . . . . . .
“Do not withhold good from whose to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so.”
-Proverbs 3:27
At one time in my past, I thought myself to be quite the budding young Philosopher-King. During those narcissistic college years I remember coming across the Law of Non-Contradiction while studying the logic under Dr. David Bassinger. This law basically states that it is not possible for something to be both true and not true at the same time and in the same context. For example today is garbage day and I can’t both take the trash out and not take the trash out at the same time.
When I first wrestled with this idea, it forced me to consider the limited resources we have in this world and the reality that all of our choices are exclusive – that is to say that whenever I make a choice to do something, I am simultaneously choosing not to do many other things. Our time cannot be used more than once despite what today’s advertising world would like us to believe. This of course begs the question: How should I best use the limited resources I have?
From the very beginning of the Ugandan Water Project, we faced this challenge. If we have resources available that can do good in some measure – do we use them immidiately or do we wait in order to make a bigger impact or for greater efficiency or a myriad of other reasons. I remember the day when the check arrived for our very first rainwater collection tank and I realized that I held the future of a small Ugandan community in my hand. This realization was sobering because we weren’t due to go to Uganda for our first trip for another month and a half but all of the advice and counsel we had received told us to wait until we could sit face to face with our Ugandan friends before beginning any physical work. The words of Proverbs 3:27 rang in my ears – and I asked myself – “am I withholding good” from the people of Uganda by not transferring these funds as fast as possible and getting that water tank installed?!” Lives depend on the work that we do. Lives are lost when we grow complacent. My delay may cost a father the life of his daughter. It was not possible for me to send the money immediately and wait to send the money until we were present to establish the relationship . . . is it better to have bread today or cake tomorrow?Pause
Consider bread for a moment – why is it that we don’t simply sit down and eat a handful of flour, crack an egg into our mouth – sprinkle some yeast on our tongue and then chase it with a glass of water and a shake of salt? Even bread involves some waiting and a process.
Language is a thing – when the writer of Proverbs penned this challenge not to withhold good from whom it is due, the implication is not simply that there are those who would benefit from some good – actually, there is the implication that this “good” already belongs to those who we are being challenged to give to. One translation that is more literal could read: “Do not withhold good from the owner of it, when it is in your power to do it.”
It takes time to bake bread – but as soon as it’s done baking – sharing fresh bread is one of life’s simple pleasures – serve it while it’s still warm.
