Missing the Point...

Today is the day to worship the saint Gabriel. I know this because there is a church built for Gabriel on the way to a restaurant I have become quite a regular at. Typically there are not many people at late at night (Note that late is not too long after dark.). On this night the street was packed. There was lots of traffic and numerous people just standing beside and in the roadway.


I asked the man in front of me on the taxi what was happening. He affirmed my guess. This place is so deceived. I believe fully that we can follow the same Master and do it in different ways. The problem is that the people here have completely abandoned the pursuit of following the Master. Instead they follow good deeds and saints and luck that can bless their lives. Their pursuit of religion is all about the benefits for self.


According to the book, Notes from the Hyena's Belly the orthodox here have, "263 saints' days, 52 Sundays, 9 other Christian holidays, 13 abdar days [They worship the traditional sacred tree of the family.], 36 Wukabi days [They worship spirits.], and 12 days to worship ancestor's spirits." On these days they are supposed to worship all day and do no work. Do the math! It comes up to about 368 days. Now they do use a different calendar here, but there are still 365 days in the year.


They spend all of their time earning the respect and "grace" of their God.




On another front. I hooked up with some old friends from last summer. I got to visit their university today and watch one of the guys play football (soccer). I was amazed; most of them were terrible. I guess I had some pretty high expectations. Perhaps if ever become able to make it up my 5 flights of stairs without sounding like I ran a marathon, I might try to play some ball. At the current rate, I will guess the possibility will never become reality…these stairs are gonna be the death of me.

Where to begin...

[Listening to: Jesus To These - Ryan Richardson - Delve]

Lord I want to be…
To be your hands and your feet.
To walk where you walk,
See what you see.
To feed a hungry soul,
To love a world so poor.
I want to be Jesus to these.
- Ryan Richardson - Jesus to These on Delve


I have never felt quite the way I do here. The pages of the gospel seem to come to life. I have greater mental images of what it looked like to walk out of the temple and be surrounded by beggars. I see them everyday…everywhere…but especially just outside the churches and mosques. Those who worship there move closer to God by giving to the poor.


I hurt for them (the poor and the deceived worshipers), but I also struggle with becoming cold. Poverty is so rampant; it is hard to know who is poor and who has found a good gig to cover for the lack of work in the city. Even the nationals distinguish between three kinds of beggars. Some are truly homeless and have no option, some are using it as a scheme, and some are merely troublemakers. This last group is looking for a quick way to get money. They aren't opposed to lying to you and/or stealing it from you.


Yesterday Daniel walked up to me on the road. He began to walk and talk English with me. (A travel guide about this country tells of the newest scam. Young people, apparently students, invite you to a "cultural event" that is only there on that day. Once they convince you to go with them, they take you somewhere to run up a very large bill and have you pay for it. It is no joke…happened to me last summer…before I read the book.) Daniel tried to pull the scam. I didn't bite. He then began to tell me numerous stories about not being able to work and having to pay for school and his family living in the country. All of his stories may have been true; I have no idea. I chose not to give him money or buy him lunch which he asked for several times.


I'm not sure how to deal with the poor. We are told to care for them; we are told they will always be with us. For that matter I don't know how to be Jesus to anyone. This week I have had a long talk with a national friend. There is a mistranslation in their Bible. It defines secular music (listening to, singing, creating) as removing one from God. It is in the same list with jealousy, envy, orgies, impurity.


I have my own thoughts on music, that isn't the important thing. What matters is how I be Jesus to him and how I encourage him to do the same with others here. Are his beliefs on music important? Do I just leave them be and worry about other things. Or is this a slippery slope down a dangerous hill. My fear is legalism. My desire is love and grace. I desire it for him; I desire it for me; I desire it for the church.


Ryan's song is my desire. Where do I even begin?

Life Together...and the time that follows...

Last semester at school I had the chance to read Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Life Together. It was pretty good. Today as I was walking home a piece of it came to mind.


My struggle the last several days has been loneliness. Honestly this isn't something I expected to deal with. I know many of the Americans here. I even spend quite a bit of time with them. I also have several national friends.


Bonhoeffer's book talked about community. Today I wanted to read part two of the book (I don't know of one.) In LIfe Together he encourages the reader to embrace community. He makes the claim that it will be short lived because our call is to go out alone into a world where believers are not. At that point we lose the community we have had the chance to live in the midst of.


Last Saturday I wanted so badly to call up the old gang for a game of football at Cameron Park. When I wanted to call they were probably all in bed, not to mention the fact I don't live in Waco anymore and neither do some of them. I had amazing community there. I miss the gang.


I want to read what Bonhoeffer claims is to follow the time with community. My guess is it is written about throughout the book The Cost of Discipleship. One day I will get to "reading" that one. (In school I skimmed it…twice.)


My greatest hope today is one I have mentioned before. I desire true community. I desire to find national "persons of peace" to walk the journey with. I hope relationships with the other Americans here increase so that we may be community.

Rainy Days and Mondays...

It is a rainy day in Africa. It is still hard to believe I am here. I have been here a week now. Almost daily I have to remind myself I am here to stay. The rains are supposed to be over soon. A lady on the plane told me it might be another couple weeks. Several days have been bright and sunny but today it pours. I am glad I haven't had to be out as much today.


I have had a great opportunity to meet coworkers here. Today I am going to lunch with a lady and her son. It should be fun we are going to a place I haven't been before. My apartment is much bigger than I expected. It's nice.


In the next few days I will dive into language study full time. I watched a DVD about it last night and it predicted that in order for me to reach a conversational level it will take 1½ years studying about 30 hours a week. That sounds crazy. How in the world will I ever find that much time?


I'm not sleeping well. Not sure why yet. Still getting adjusted. Plus the bed is a bit uncomfortable and squeaks a lot!


I'm glad to be here!