Maxwell's New Role

Maxwell is my gardener, my driver and my general “go-to guy.” Maxwell got his driver’s license about this time last year so he could take care of the driving while I was recovering from hip replacement surgery and wasn’t allowed to drive. That was a blessing then and it has turned out to be an ongoing blessing. Maxwell loves to drive and he looks for opportunities to do so. He drives to the market to do the shopping. He drives to pay the utility bills. He does the household errands in the car now. These are things he did before, taking a minibus. Now he is able to do them faster and easier. This has helped me greatly, but in our current fuel crisis, his driving has become a blessing.

Fuel is scarce. Sometimes there is diesel and no petrol and sometimes the other way around. Rarely are both available at the same time and when either is available, there are long lines (called queues here, a part of the British influence on language in Malawi). We sit in a queue for 3 to 6 hours, sometimes to be turned away just before reaching the pump because the fuel has run out. This is not my idea of fun. To be honest, it frustrates the daylights out of me. I am not a patient person. I have to leave meetings to queue; I have to miss meetings to queue; I have to rearrange my schedule to queue. I am not the only one. That is the pattern of life for just about anyone who owns a vehicle in Malawi. Some people have waited all night to be first in line, to be certain to get fuel. It’s like Black Friday without the cost benefits. Fuel has increased in price by 33% in the last month. So time is costing even more money.



Maxwell with Charles' son on one of our outings



About 4 months ago, Maxwell offered to do the queuing for me. He is far more patient than I am and it gives him the opportunity to drive more, even if it is an inch at a time as he moves forward in the queue. I wouldn’t have asked him to do this, but I jumped at his offer. And so this has been added to his weekly responsibilities. But I felt guilty about his doing this for me. It seems like it should be my responsibility. It seems morally wrong to have someone else do your waiting for you. There should be some reward for this precious service of waiting. About a month ago, I hit on the reward. While Maxwell was driving for the errands around the city, I reserved the distance driving for myself. I frequently have to drive to presbyteries and churches in rural areas for speaking engagements. I have done that driving myself. I like to drive. About a month ago, Maxwell had queued for 2 consecutive days before he finally got fuel for my trip to Ntcheu Presbytery. It seemed ungrateful of me to then just drive away with the fuel he had worked for. I asked him if he would like to go along, since he had done all the work to make the trip possible. He jumped at the opportunity. He offered to be “the driver.” I reasoned it was also safer for me not to travel alone (not that that ever stopped me before). As it turned out, another pastor went with us, but it was nice to have a “driver” and to be able to focus on what I was to do when I got there and to chat with my colleague and not worry about the usual obstacles on the roads of Malawi. Coming home, Maxwell told us it was his first time in that particular area and he really enjoyed the time to explore as we held our meeting. I had hit on a benefit to both of us.

Saturday, I had to go to Likubula in Mulanje to speak at a retreat. Maxwell spent 3 hours finding fuel for the trip. I asked him if he would like to drive for me, but we were leaving at 6 a.m. He said that was fine with him. He had never been to Mulanje Mountain so this was his opportunity. He drove and while I spoke to the ladies at the retreat, he hiked part way up the mountain (with a guide we arranged for). He was delighted. He is not much of a talker, but on the drive home he regaled me with all he saw on the mountain. I think we have hit on a win-win situation. I get a driver and he gets to drive; I don’t go alone and he gets to see places he has never seen before; he queues for fuel and I don’t feel guilty. We are both enjoying this new arrangement and his added responsibilities.