"It's not our differences that divide us. It is our ability to recognize, accept and celebrate those differences." (Audre Lorde)
How true that is! Who would have imagined how "at home" we would feel and how welcomed we would be by our brothers and sisters out in Masailand. But...that is exactly how we felt! Imagine sleeping in a place with no electricity and nothing on the walls, just beds in the room. The "toilet" was a whole in floor. The shower, a small room with 3 walls, a door and a bucket of water. The evening dinner consisted of beans, rice and some greens cooked over an open fire in a "kitchen" made of sticks and thatch, situated about 20 feet behind the main house. Everyone spoke a completely different language..masai language. Todd and I only know Swahili and tho we speak that well it was of little help out in the Masai bushland. Yet even with all these differences it was amazing to feel so welcomed, so embraced and so loved.
We arrived Saturday, mid-afternoon. Our host, Joseph, a Masai himself, was late to join us. He was stuck in Arusha waiting on the mechanic to finish the repairs on his vehicle. So there we were..all 12 of us, 8 guests and our family of four... waiting! Joseph's wife welcomed us into their home in Mairowa. There we had chai. Out in Masailand chai has quite a different taste than at home in Arusha. It's mostly milk and tea with a strong, smoky taste. I understand that is from the way it is made. The smoke from the open fire mixed with the charcoal lined gourd the milk is collected in, all combine to make the chai have a unique, smoky flavor.
Daniel, a new pastor and Peter Kukan, one of our first church planters we trained happened to join us for chai. We asked him for suggestions for things to do while we waited for Joseph's arrival. He suggested we attend a celebration for a ceremony of some boys who were recently circumcised. Normally we would not be allowed into such a private, cultural celebration. However, because Daniel knew the owners of the boma who hosted the celebration, we were allowed to attend. I was a little apprehensive at first, not certain if it was a good idea or not. Yet after seeing Peter's eagerness to go we agreed. What a great decision that was!
Our group arrived long after the circumcision took place. By this point the festivities had begun. Our hosts, the owners of the boma, Mama and Baba Isaiah, were so gracious to us! They welcomed us joyfully into their boma. The church choir was just congregating to begin their procession of singing and dancing. It's nearly impossible to describe the amazing sights and sounds of such an event. Our western heritage lacks the appropriate experiences from which to draw to begin to describe such an adventure. Beads, dangles, songs, dance, laughter, smoke, chants, spears, smells, fear, excitement, wonder and most of all, awe. I was in awe of something so common place to the Masai was astoundingly profound for us westerners.
I believe God allowed our "temporal plans" to be "interrupted" to open our eyes to the diversity of those whom He calls His children. How profoundly awestruck I was to be standing there amidst all the "strange" sites, sounds and smells only to find that deep down inside we're not that different. Tho we come from such different backgrounds, we mamas still share the same concerns: children, husbands, food, education for our kids, etc. On the flip side, worship to them means dancing, singing, and jumping. Food consists of blood, milk and occasional meat. Yet all in all, what amazes me most is the one thing that draws us all together and makes our hearts one.. the blood of Jesus. Awesome!!
The biggest blessing I received from that whole experience was the privilege to pray for Mama Isaiah, our host. She is a Christian married to a man who is not. She graciously invited us all back to her hut to share in a soda that in total costs her over a day's wage in this country. She explained how the two trees temporarily affixed to the side of her hut represent the two young boys inside healing from the circumcision they received earlier in the day. She explained how difficult it is being married to a non-Christian man and asked us to pray over her and her family. We were all so humbled. Words can't describe the somber feeling we all felt as we left the celebration to go back to Joseph's house. Please join us in praying for Mama Isaiah and her family.
The next day, Sunday we all went to one of our 11 new church plants out in Masailand. Joseph oversees this church in a village called Loserian. Once again we were so blessed by their exuberant joy and love for the Lord. The church building was already too small so we all sat on the ground or on benches made of fallen limbs.Our American guests had opportunity to introduce themselves and Brian even preached. After three hours we finished and as we left they adorned us all with hand made, beaded cross necklaces and warm embraces.
Before heading home to reminisce on all our experiences with our new Masai friends, we were escorted up the hill to the boma of one of the church members. They welcomed us to enjoy a roasted goat with them. What a luxury and blessing! It was raining as we all crowded into the stick and thatch cook house. Huddled around the smoky embers of the cooking fire, I smiled to see a small glimpse of what heaven must look like. Shoulder to shoulder, people of every race, color and language, all standing around the All Consuming Fire...our God! Wow!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment