(actually written about May 10th)
So, for a long time we’ve noticed a particular man that walks the trail behind our house quite frequently; usually multiple times a day. When he comes by in the afternoon, he is usually quite drunk. Sometimes we ponder how he is even staying on his feet because he is clearly stumbling. When he’s drunk, he is always talking out loud, sometimes even yelling.
Since he doesn’t speak English, we haven’t been able to talk with him. Our Luganda is not well enough to go beyond simple greetings, money, and nouns. So, we can waive and greet him, but that’s it.
Recently, I was sitting on the porch of the dormitory with Makline and Grace when he came walking up. He handed each of them a container with liquid in it, but I couldn’t tell what kind of liquid. It was obvious that they do this regularly, so I just said hello and observed.
Later Grace told me that he is actually a farmer. He has milk cows. It is actually his cattle that are frequently in our yard eating the bush. He delivers fresh milk to Makline and Grace every day, usually in the morning. For me, getting cow’s milk has not been an option. The one time I bought it in the city, it was spoiled from the heat by the time I got home. So, I hadn’t tried again.
So, I inquired about purchasing milk for myself and was told that he would gladly deliver milk to me. The price is 400 shillings for half a liter (about a pint). Now, before you think that’s a lot, let me tell you that 400 shillings is currently 13 cents in America. That calculates to about $1.04 for a gallon of raw milk, freshly milked from a grass fed cow.
Of course, some concern was mentioned to me as well. If you buy milk from him, aren’t you enabling him to get drunk? If you buy milk from him, you’re having the local drunkard come to the property where you live – that could be dangerous. And so on.
Now, I can’t just ignore the questions; I have to give a fair response. Isn’t every person’s sin enabled by their wages paid from their employer? Just because you don’t see the sin as someone walks down the street, you still know they are a sinner. We all are. Didn’t Jesus interact with the drunks, prostitutes, and other socially unacceptable people? If I refuse to buy milk from this man, how can I ever build a relationship with him?
If he walks down the trail behind my house every day, he clearly already knows where I live and who my children are and whatever else he might see in delivering milk. As far as the students go, 1) he already comes on the property, 2) they have to grow up in this world, so you can’t shield them from things that happen so often, 3) we have to teach them how to respond to all people, not just the “safe” ones, and 4) we have a security guard.
So, I got milk from him to see if we liked it and it was a positive, mostly for Raegan and I. Now I buy one “cup” (that’s what they call half a liter here) from him each day.
This is my recycled, plastic container that the raw milk goes in.
Then I have to boil it because of a specific bacteria that is prevalent in milk that causes serious illness.
Then I put it in my pitcher to go in the fridge.
So, for a long time we’ve noticed a particular man that walks the trail behind our house quite frequently; usually multiple times a day. When he comes by in the afternoon, he is usually quite drunk. Sometimes we ponder how he is even staying on his feet because he is clearly stumbling. When he’s drunk, he is always talking out loud, sometimes even yelling.
Since he doesn’t speak English, we haven’t been able to talk with him. Our Luganda is not well enough to go beyond simple greetings, money, and nouns. So, we can waive and greet him, but that’s it.
Recently, I was sitting on the porch of the dormitory with Makline and Grace when he came walking up. He handed each of them a container with liquid in it, but I couldn’t tell what kind of liquid. It was obvious that they do this regularly, so I just said hello and observed.
Later Grace told me that he is actually a farmer. He has milk cows. It is actually his cattle that are frequently in our yard eating the bush. He delivers fresh milk to Makline and Grace every day, usually in the morning. For me, getting cow’s milk has not been an option. The one time I bought it in the city, it was spoiled from the heat by the time I got home. So, I hadn’t tried again.
So, I inquired about purchasing milk for myself and was told that he would gladly deliver milk to me. The price is 400 shillings for half a liter (about a pint). Now, before you think that’s a lot, let me tell you that 400 shillings is currently 13 cents in America. That calculates to about $1.04 for a gallon of raw milk, freshly milked from a grass fed cow.
Of course, some concern was mentioned to me as well. If you buy milk from him, aren’t you enabling him to get drunk? If you buy milk from him, you’re having the local drunkard come to the property where you live – that could be dangerous. And so on.
Now, I can’t just ignore the questions; I have to give a fair response. Isn’t every person’s sin enabled by their wages paid from their employer? Just because you don’t see the sin as someone walks down the street, you still know they are a sinner. We all are. Didn’t Jesus interact with the drunks, prostitutes, and other socially unacceptable people? If I refuse to buy milk from this man, how can I ever build a relationship with him?
If he walks down the trail behind my house every day, he clearly already knows where I live and who my children are and whatever else he might see in delivering milk. As far as the students go, 1) he already comes on the property, 2) they have to grow up in this world, so you can’t shield them from things that happen so often, 3) we have to teach them how to respond to all people, not just the “safe” ones, and 4) we have a security guard.
So, I got milk from him to see if we liked it and it was a positive, mostly for Raegan and I. Now I buy one “cup” (that’s what they call half a liter here) from him each day.
This is my recycled, plastic container that the raw milk goes in.
Then I have to boil it because of a specific bacteria that is prevalent in milk that causes serious illness.
Then I put it in my pitcher to go in the fridge.
*As a side note, I haven't seen him walking buy in his drunken stupor in a while now. I'm not sure what he's been up to, maybe he's just busy right now. Either way, My milk is good and there hasn't been any problem.
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