Monday, July 6

Monday, July 6

I have to admit that I am writing this on Tuesday morning, so I have a bit more perspective on the activities of yesterday. You see for much of yesterday morning I lived in a state of stubbornness. I didn't want to admit that the spiritual realm that I live in is imperfect and that spiritually I have a lot to learn from the Ugandans. Though I know this to be the truth in my heart, my head was filled with pride and arrogance. I kept wanting to say, “You don't know the culture I live in. The church in America is trying its best.”

Okay, perhaps I need to back up a bit. Yesterday, we stuck around the hotel, and the Ugandans joined us. The theme of yesterday's training was supposed to be Community Development. However, we are trying to start the day with a time of joint devotions, a time to come together as Christians to praise God and talk about the ways he is revealing himself to us. Well, this proved to be more difficult than one would assume, as cultural differences led to an awkwardness during the time of devotion. You see, as we were sharing, only the Ugandans felt a freeness to express themselves while the North Americans felt a bit uncomfortable and a bit inferior in the ways that God has revealed himself.

Truthfully, I felt a tightness during the whole experience, feeling a bit resentful that perhaps the Ugandans didn't understand the spirituality of North America (well, at least the Reformed spirituality of North America). I knew that the North Americans were feeling like it was a bit of a competition—who did God reveal himself to in the most powerful way. Also, when one of the North Americans revealed a struggle or question, the Ugandans felt the need to express the lesson that God might be trying to express to the North American students, not understanding that sometimes in North America, we express ourselves only to be heard. Though God can certainly speak through them to us (and has in many ways already), sometimes we simply need to just be quiet and still and wait for God to reveal to us what he's trying to teach us.

Well, my attitude was certainly arrogant because I failed to see that perhaps we don't understand their spirituality all that well either and that we haven't intentionally built in a time for the students to share a bit of where they come from spiritually. So, instead of jumping right into Community Development, Nate and I decided to take a good portion of the afternoon to allow the students to share with each other a bit about the churches they come from. We set the discussion up in a very North American way, and it was probably a bit uncomfortable—too boxed in—for the Ugandans. However, at the end of the discussion, Nate wrapped it up by stating that the lesson of this exercise is not only to teach one another about where we come from but understand that because of cultural differences listening and asking questions is important. Sometimes when we express something the receiver might understand it one way while we intended for it to be understood in a completely different way. I think this was a lesson appreciated by all.

This brings me back to the lesson I didn't want to learn. During the group sharing time at the end of the partner sharing time, there was a common theme struck on by both the Ugandan students and the North American students. The Ugandan students stated that their churches' strengths were caring for the community and living in community with one another. They stated that their churches struggled with finances and church organization. The American students for the most part stated that their churches were fantastic at sharing their finances and had very good structure and accountability. However, almost all of them stated that their church did a poor job of building community and reaching out to the community.

So, in truth there are things that we can learn from each other, but I could feel the deep longing of the North American students to be a part of the passionate community development that is taking place here in Africa. Truthfully, it made me sad. Why are we in the RCA and CRC being so complacent when it comes to building community? Why are we as North Americans so ignorant of our own selfish, individualistic attitudes? Why are we such private people, when God calls us to share as a community our trials, temptations, and sorrows as well as our joys?

I believe that people in North America are looking for something more. I believe that they desire to find a way out of their isolation and loneliness. And I believe that we as a church need to get off our butts and show them that God has an answer for that loneliness. We need to show them that being a Christian is more than a set of rules, more than a set of judgments, more than a set of Bible stories that might not relate to their lives. Being a Christian should be about living in community, sharing the grace that Christ first shared with us. I pray that the church in North America will one day open their eyes and feel the deep call to build that community—a community that is not just about throwing money at the problem but about sitting down together (rich, poor, black, white, Hispanic) and experiencing the joy of Christ together. I pray that one day our community will mimic in many ways the community here in Africa—where church is home and where family is more than just our immediate family but all in our community.

I recognize that there is more to all of this than my simple hopes, as our culture places some very difficult roadblocks to achieving that purpose. Hopefully, though, these few students will learn some practical ways to practice that community over the next couple of weeks and will be able to bring those ideas back to their churches. This is Nate and I's hope.

Otherwise, all is well here. The students are truly loving each other, and Nate, Lydia, and I continue to figure out what it means to lead together. It has been frustrating at times, but we are learning to share grace and receive grace.

Olivia and Emily are supposed to receive their luggage today (Tuesday, July 7). I think that they are both at the end of their patience and grace levels, so it is good that the luggage is near. I am very proud of them for their perseverance. Mark is feeling better. Immodium did miracles. Nate has a bit of a sore throat, so we're trying to get him healthy now. Otherwise, God is good, and we are doing well. The students will go on home visits tonight to one of the Ugandan youth's home. Then on Thursday we will travel to Kabale, where we will all live in one house for a week—cooking, cleaning, and living together. Then they will split off into home visits for a week. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

Blessings to you all!