Walking through the streets of Kenya, the one thing I commonly heard was where you from?! Once we told them, the next thing they would ask is do you know Obama?
The guys would always joke with us, oh he’s my 2nd cousin, or he’s my brother.
They have such a fascination over Obama, mainly because he is half Kenyan.
Quite a few people have made their opinions known to us that he needs to get out of office, others say He’s a cool guy. I found it hilarious that they know more about what’s going on in the U.S. than we do.
During our time away we try to stay informed by what’s going on back home here and there, but usually we get busy doing ministry and also we’d rather enjoy the break of not hearing candidates argue back and forth and dish out lies and everything else that comes with it.
I’m glad to come back to the end of it all.
We were in a nearby primary school, giving a few classes a Sunday school Bible lesson. Afterwards we asked them if they had questions.
Thinking they would have asked us questions on what we just taught them.
Well they did have questions, but it had absolutely nothing to do with what we taught them. They wanted to know more about America. Question after Question they asked away. Quite a few of the questions they asked where about Obama and the decisions he is making for America. I was taken aback that these kids who are around 11/12 years old would know so much about politics in America. Being away from America for 8 Months and not knowing too much information it became a little tough to answer some of the questions.
After we left, Vivian (who was teaching in the class with me) and I were talking and we said it’s amazing how America has such a big influence on the nations around the world. Many people look to us and wait to see what we are doing and where we are going as a nation. We hear that from time to time that we have influence. But not until you are immersed in another country do you really understand how true that is.
Not only are we looked at politically but also the standards of our Christianity are looked at. The churches here in Africa have a desire to be like America. Not all but a good handful of them do. They mimic the way Americans do things. A few churches we have been to, it was as if I was back in America at a church. They have taken their culture and traditions and put them aside and have adopted the American way of doing things.
They are riding on America’s passion and not finding their own flame.
The people here have such passion and authority that they don’t need to look at America on how to do things. It’s fine to take ideas, but to mimic from beginning to end is not finding and walking out in you own voice.
I pray that the churches of Africa will starting walking in the way God wan't them to.
