“Medicine from the Cold”

Sometimes the joy comes in simply just giving an unexpected but desired gift.  This year, I was given the opportunity to take a Christmas gift to the villagers in Kongu  ...blankets!!  A few years ago, our team was given bundles of quilts that were donated to an organization – a gift to us to give to others!

Though most of my readers would disagree ...it does indeed get cold in Niger.  Cold season is upon us – and with temperatures dipping to a low of +17 degrees at night (or lower, I admittedly do not check the temperature at 3am!) – my national friends (and I) are cold at night.  When one is used to +45 (or hotter) than anything below +25 is cold indeed!

Throughout November, the odd person would ask me for a blanket to meet their needs of warmth, for it was getting colder.  It was all I could do to keep my secret!  Yes – I had blankets!!  And they were going to get one!  I had to organize the list of recipients from the mosquito net distribution the year prior – subtracting the families who had moved to other countries and adding in families that had been missed in prior distributions.

I finally had the list compiled and met with the village elders to announce the news – the following day, they gathered on the chief’s land to receive their blankets.  Representatives coming from each area to receive the blankets for their village site and families!

It was a cold morning for the wind was blowing off the “mountain”.  It is really a plateau, but in the local language, they call the hill a “mountain”.  (They have no idea!)  But at any rate, I was grateful for the jacket that the team director Tim gallantly gave me for use as I was just as cold as the villagers!

Each of the bundles of 27-33 blankets were wrapped in 3 metal ties which we could not open with the jackknife Tim brought for what should have been plastic ties.  But no worries – the villagers improvised and quickly became proficient at balancing their machete on a shepherd herding stick to snap the metal ties without cutting the blankets!

As I read through the list of names, the elder from each village site distributed the quilts to those family representatives who had come on behalf of their family.

 

At one point, a lizard fell off the straw roof ceiling onto the bundle of quilts – those of us next to the bundle startled in surprise.  The man next to me recuperated faster than the lizard and he flung it off the quilts – sadly though, flinging the lizard not onto the ground but onto the skirts of the lady standing by the door.  She then squealed and flung her skirts around until the lizard dropped on the ground at her feet and scurried away!!  I am not sure who was more scared – the lizard or the lady.  We all had a laugh and then got back to the blanket distribution!!

As I passed out each blanket, I thought of the women in the States who quilted and stitched each of these beautiful blankets together – and I thank them for their gift of time and love.  Each quilt so unique.  Some were even done in material of comics that reminded me of my childhood.  Some were bright and zany, others in more stately themes of flowers reminiscent of gardens back home.  It felt a little awkward passing out the blanket in a pink pig theme!  A couple were gorgeous quilts done in my favourite colours – I have to confess to some serious quilt envy as I passed those ones on! 

Soon all the blankets were distributed and the village representatives were heading back to their sites with their bundle of blankets!

The following week, as I visited with various villagers, I was greeted with the beautiful expressions of the Fulani to describe their pleasure and thankfulness for the gift:

• last year, you brought us medicine from the mosquitos and this year you brought us medicine from the cold!
• thank you for bringing “healing from the cold”!

Yes indeed, my heart is joyful in the simple giving – a small blanket and yet their hearts are overflowing with the joy and gratitude of receiving so small and yet not insignificant a gift!