SEVERAL YEARS AGO when I was in the Peace Corps, a fellow volunteer and I both had wildlife clubs at our respective community high schools where we taught in northern Malawi. We'd taken our clubs to a national park for a week's educational trip, along with two Malawian teachers, 35 village high school students, and ten other Peace Corps volunteers. It was quite a journey to get to the park—about eight hours with all of us piled into the back of a large open top truck. Once we got there we saw zebra, antelope, bush pigs, and many other animals. The students saw horses for the first time, and as a special surprise they got to ride them.
While we were in the area, we'd also planned to purchase some materials on behalf of the school to build much-needed desks. A few days into the trip I made a decision in connection with this project that I felt was in the best interests of the students and the school. However, later I found several of the volunteers who were put out by the change complaining about my decision, and I reacted poorly toward them. I regained my composure and explained my reasoning, and that seemed to settle things down.
The next morning, a few of us had arranged to depart on a three-day hike through some beautiful but isolated countryside. I got up early to study the weekly Christian Science Bible Lesson, which included ideas about making sure that our hopes and affections are spiritually based. I felt that the hike was a constructive activity—a means of celebrating and appreciating the goodness of God's creation. But I soon found I was having trouble retaining food.
