My uncle Timothy is not a religious man. In fact, he is the black sheep of my Mom's family. He was trouble and no one wanted him around. A lazy man, he hardly lifted a finger to help in the family's farm. He spent most of his days with his drinking buddies. He dropped out of school. He sold his inheritance and squandered it in record time. He was a rough man who be can violent when he is with the wrong people. He never read the Bible or went to church. I never saw him pray. I believe he did not believe in God. Growing up, I was even a little afraid of him. I think we all were.
All of us thought he was going to kill someone someday or end dead himself in a ditch somewhere. But one day, he announced to everyone he was going to get married. We were surprised and right away, we felt sorry for his bride. What life could my wayward uncle offer her? Surely, she knows who he is? But they got married, anyway, and we braced ourselves for domestic troubles.
To our amazement, our erratic Uncle Timothy became a good family man. He turned into a hardworking husband and a patient father. His wife, who thankfully, had a small land to her name, told us he would work in the fields and tend to the animals till late hours. Our scary uncle became a caring father to his two kids and rarely lost his temper. I also noticed his change of behaviour towards us. Gone are his violent tendencies. He became more friendly, chatty, helpful, and generous even if he only had enough. It was an unexpected change but one that the whole family was thankful for.
One warm summer night, when he was visiting, he told us the reason for his transformation. I was in college then. My uncle, mom, and some relatives were sitting on a wooden porch outside of our house to cool down. "It was due to the bees...", he began.
He told us that one afternoon in the summer before he got married, he went looking for ant eggs in the woods for dinner. In our place, ant eggs are considered a delicacy but one that only an "expert" can get. The red ants would create a nest in the trees and you would have to use a bamboo stick to poke it, the eggs will fall into a container in the ground. Unless you are skilled, you can have hundreds of ants falling on you. After some time, my uncle found a nest. However, when he was about to poke the nest with the bamboo stick, he hit a nearby beehive instead, one that he, for some reason, failed to see.
Suddenly, a swarm of bees came out and attacked him. He run for his life but the bees were relentless. He never felt so afraid in his life, my uncle said. Soon, he reached a clearing but the bees were still after him. Exhausted and confused, he dropped to the ground and for the first time in his life he prayed. He said, " If you are real Lord, save me. If you will, I promise to live my life according to your will." In seconds, he felt water on his arms. On that hot sunny day, it began to rain.
The bees immediately receded to my Uncle Timothy's joy and relief. When the rain stopped, that is when he discovered that the rain was not really a coincidence. The rest of the area were dry. It only rained on his spot. My uncle recalled collapsing on his knees and weeping. He went home to be the changed man we now knew.
