The Challenge of Life with the Internet

If you are looking to see what I have to say about whether the Internet is Godly or not or how a Christian should or shouldn't be using it, you might have to wait for another time....

What I thought I would pop into a blog post is simply some technological realities and challenges of Internet access and usage in the context of living in an urban setting in a developing African nation!

Today is Sunday and since I am rarely able to get to church, I often try to download a sermon to watch and listen to - sometimes on YouTube or other times from a particular website.  Today I was trying to download a message by Charles Price from The People's Church in Toronto, Canada.  I decided to turn on the computer before breakfast and start the download as the download speed is just soooooo slow.  I was hoping the Lord would make a way to at least have some kind of a sense of a 'sermon' today, as sometimes with the slow speed and internet drop-outs we can try all day and still have no success.

Today, it downloaded in just a couple of hours which was great....and then before we got to watch it, the power went off and so of course also did the computer!  

So, once the power came back on again, we started the whole process again.  By early afternoon, I thought I could have lunch and then watch it.  But, while I was still thinking that, the power went off again!

So, yet again, I restarted the downloading once the power came on again.

I was thrilled to actually be able to watch it!  The message was really good - on the sufficiency of Christ in all circumstances.

And then, about 40 minutes into the broadcast and still 20 minutes from the end, it suddenly stopped!

Guess what?  It seems we had an internet 'drop out' which ceased the download! 

Such is life here. Even though some children in Africa are now familiar with computers, and much of the continent has internet access either via landline ADSL or via smart-phones or dongles, it just doesn't function the way you might expect.  It immediately gave me a real-life situation to test what I had just been learning about being content in all circumstances!

The whole process was a reminder of a conversation I had with family in the USA just a few days before as we compared internet speed - their internet speed is around the 20Mbps in comparison to our 512kbps!  And when I actually checked our provider's details the 'Bronze level' we subscribe to (which is the lowest as it is all we can afford at about US$47 per month) is "up to" 512kbps.  (Mind you the maximum available at 'Gold' level is still only "up to" 2Mbps).

Sometimes, people often don't even stop to think that even though we have internet access that it might not be reliable (ie no drop-outs - sometimes it can be dropping out every few minutes or no power outages), or it might be very, very slow in comparison to what is available in the USA or UK or Australia.  It means when someone sends us a photo at full resolution as an email attachment of a few MegaBits, it can take a-g-e-s to download!

And just to illustrate just how important that little phrase "up to" is that our provider puts in front of the speed of 512kbps.....I did a speed test yesterday and discovered at a point when I thought the speed was 'reasonable' for what we normally experience, it only registered 83kbps!!!

So when we have someone suggest we make a little video and put it on YouTube....it is not even an option worth considering as even with no drop-outs or power outages it would probably take a week - just to upload it!

Monkey Business

Yesterday seemed to be the day in which the local monkeys and baboons
particularly selected the area around our house for their family fun
day and picnic!

Most days we will see some monkeys and some days we see the baboons as
well.

But yesterday they were persistently trying to raid our garbage bin,
scouring the plants around for any small shoot that had managed to
emerge since their last 'harvesting' visit, and making sure to get a
drink while they were about it.

The water crisis is worsening here - after a pretty dry 'wet season'
last summer and a very dry dusty winter, we are desperate for the
'early rains' but they don't normally come until September/October -
and the animals are really feeling it too.

But apart from trying to prevent our garbage from being strewn all
over, we do enjoy their visits as we watch their antics.....

It started early today, as my husband got out of bed, stood up and
looked out the window to see the term "head over heels in love" take
on a whole new meaning! He stood and watched two monkeys following the
Creator's directions to do what is needed to 'multiply according to
their kind' under the trees outside our bedroom window....but
then...they lost their balance! and while still very much 'together'
went tumbling down the hill!!!! Mrs Monkey wasn't so impressed and
gave her suitor an angry bite, so he ran off and left her to sit and
ponder her unexpected situation!

After the baboons made several attempts during the morning to get into
our garbage bin and would not be deterred, we moved it closer to the
back door so we could see it and if necessary make a big noise to
scare them off. But it also gave us extra opportunity to watch the
monkeys later on when they also tried to get into it - pulling,
tugging, stretching the luggage strap across the top trying to find a
way to gain entrance....but thankfully unsuccessful in their attempts.

The babies are starting to grow up now and are no longer constantly
close to mum. In fact the youngsters seem to often be together
playing. Today 4 youngsters were playing 'chase' up and down our back
driveway and round and round and round our car!

But sometimes a monkey needs a rest too! A couple of days back my
husband saw one sitting on one of our porch chairs like it was his own
personal seat to relax on!

Well of course all that exercise means that even if you are a monkey,
you get thirsty! Often the baboons and monkeys would come down to our
swimming pool to drink. But then we noticed that the babies couldn't
reach the water, so we put some water in a special 'tub' by one of the
outdoor taps in the open area beside the house. Yesterday, there was
a steady stream of them heading toward the tub to get their drink on
their way back up the hill, at the end of their 'family fun day'.

Related to the King!

Today has been an interesting day for me....in two ways

First of all....

I have just received confirmation that a piece of information I stumbled across a few weeks back is actually correct, and that Prince William (Duke of Cambridge) and I are 'distant' cousins due to both being able to call a man "William Caulfeild, 1st Viscount Charlemont" one of our great-great-great- great- (and a few more 'greats') grandfathers in the 17th Century.  As the world is all a-buzz about the birth of baby George, Prince of Cambridge, it feels a little 'strange' (in a good kind of way) to learn of this connection.

(Mind you, once you get into 'distant' cousins, I am realising just how many there are - I am probably only one of several thousand in the same category.  As one geneology person said, in reality everyone on earth is actually related, the issue is 'how closely' and if you can actually trace it.....and its been fun to trace it!)

As we study more about honour and shame and understand its role in all our lives, some of my own heritage has actually come to mean more to me than ever before.  And as I have looked a little more closely and gained a greater appreciation for what it meant in times past to have the honour of being part of the 'Peerage" of Britain, (and now have this new piece of information of how I am related to the future King of England) I have come to gain a new perspective on the honour God has bestowed on us 'in Christ'.

You see, it is very easy to feel just a hint of the sense of 'status' or 'privilege' or 'honour' that my forebears knew, that my great-grandfather felt in his title of "Lord Caulfeild", (although he died long before I was old enough to ask him about it. ....and that title was lost to our 'line' and went to another semi-distant cousin when there were no male heirs).  And it could be easy to let such news as I had today 'go to my head'.  But yet, I also don't want to dismiss or ignore such news completely, because as I consider being fairly closely related (in terms of the world's population!) to the future King of England,  I also sense that through it, in a most unexpected way, God has given me a new and richer understanding of what it means to be spiritually positioned as a co-heir with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!  What an immense privilege, status and honour we have in Christ!....and I have come to understand that in a fresh and wonderful way today!

(And as I think about it - there are some major differences between discovering my 'link' to Prince William and the fact of being a child of The King of Kings that also remind me of the immense blessing of my 'spiritual position': - Prince William doesn't know who I am and has no reason to even want to know...and yet The King of Kings knows my name, how many hairs are on my head (grey, brown or whatever!) and even my thoughts before I think them!  I haven't got the slightest chance of calling up Prince William to have a chat about my day or ask for help in my troubles, yet the The King of Kings is vitally interested in my every moment and is ready to hear every word of any need any time of day or night!)

And Secondly....

...... God in His amazing way, didn't just choose any day to bring me this news and therefore remind me of these truths...... today is my spiritual birthday - a day to rejoice and give thanks for being a child of the King (not just a distant cousin!) these past 35years!

What could be a means of temptation to boast in my earthly 'connections', is something I rather want God to quietly use to re-direct, enlighten, and grow my appreciation for the greatness of the gift, that in Christ I have been lifted from the shame of my sin and granted honour that I never deserved....an honour I knew in theory, but now have a fresh perspective on.  By the new birth, I have been born into The King's family!  I can only stand in humble gratitude, and give all the honour back to the One who so sacrificially gave it with His own life!

My Heavenly Father, has given me a very special Birthday gift!