Just another day in the life…
Every day is different here. Every day, God is working on changing my mindset. Because so many distractions have been removed, life is stripped down to the basics. And all of a sudden, it becomes so much easier to appreciate the little things in life, and to see life for the gift it really is. Over the last week, we've already developed strong friendships with several of the locals. Last night, one of our new friends asked my teammate Ashlee and I to go to a 'crusade' with her. We obliged, and found ourselves a good 5 or 10 miles out of town, where lush jungle like forest swallows up horizon, and the villagers live in huts. We were dropped off, and found ourselves in the middle of an overgrown field. Cows grazed, chickens cooed. The middle of the field had been cleared, just enough to encompass two small rows of chairs and to allow ample dancing space for the congregation. Some danced in the bush, others celebrated in a mindset all their own by just crying out to God. A simple speaker system amplified the brash Swahili notes sung by a traditionally dressed woman. Right after we stepped out of the car, the general sentiment was "dance wazungu (white people) dance!" The entire congregation stopped in their tracks, turned around, and stared at us. Passerby's stopped, and it almost seemed as though time had frozen. The old men observing from across the street, the women carrying water on their heads and babies on their back, the laughing children. Everyone just stared. So here I am, standing in the middle of a random field with random farm animals, being expected to dance my heart out. I didn't have much choice. So I danced. And danced. And danced. And finally, a level of acceptance arose. Finally, I caught that untamed joy they danced with. These people have almost nothing, and yet they dance because they knowthere is much to be thankful for. They dance without reserve because their hearts are on fire for God.
To get home, we caught a motorbike and did what can only be described as BMX biking back to the city. Ups and downs and jumps. With all the bugs hitting my face, my eyes became windshield wipers, but I was okay with that. All I could think about was the sense of entitlement I had shown up with. I was upset that we didn't have a fridge or freezer, a car, that I couldn't see my friends, that I wasn't eating what I wanted. I was upset I wasn't living comfortably. These people were praising Jesus because they had a place to lay their heads and a set of clothes. Without even trying, this culture has humbled me. I've realized I have much to learn from these people.
