So I’ve officially been to Africa. I have been waiting for awhile to be able to go to Africa. I have been told everyone who wants a new perspective on life needs to spend at least some time in Africa, I’ve been given the chance to spend 3 months in the crazy continent known as Africa. Basically Africa is not completely what I expected. Before coming here, like anyone I had certain expectations. And on most levels Africa did not meet my expectations. I expected Africa to be very physically difficult, challenging, and draining. I expected to see serious poverty and experience a new kind of abandonment. I also expected through the difficulties and challenges I would experience the presence of God in Africa like I never had before. Basically I expected Africa to be terrible and awesome at the same time. I expected to feel physically dead but spiritually alive, and these expectations have not come to pass.
First of all, maybe due to where exactly we have stayed, material poverty has not been as much as expected. Most everyone seemed to have enough food and everyone has hand-me- down clothes. We ran across many people living comfortably in Africa, you obviously notice the standard of living is nowhere near that of the West, but people are getting by. Africans are much more spiritually poor than materially poor. Africans needs Jesus, not more money. That brings me to my next point. Maybe I had too high of expectations in this area, but I just really believed without many of our western distractions (televisions, internet, loud music) the people would be much more spiritually active and the presence of God would be felt everywhere in Africa due to less distractions. However, I continued to struggle to connect with God in Africa. Distractions are still present here, I went through the same roller coaster of feeling God’s presence at times, but also feeling completely lost and alone at times. Africa is not this spiritually magical place, at least for me, the struggles of connecting with God and having the world keep me from him has been just as much a problem in Africa as it would have been in Alabama.
African Taxis known as Matatus
So those are my main 2 observations about my time in Africa. Here is a list of things I like about Africa and then things I did not like about Africa.
What I like will miss about Africa
-Slow paced lifestyle
-The ability to share the gospel with anyone and everyone
-Transportation in Taxis as they were cheap and efficient
-The weather (much more pleasant than I imagined, high 80s most days)
-The landscape, especially Tanzinia
-Boda Boda rides (motorcycle taxis, cheap and adventerous)
Sarah and Carin on Boda Boda
-Chapates (sp) which are flour tortiallas with grease and butter
-The friendly and welcoming people
-Soft drinks from glass bottles
-Getting a haircut and a shave for $2
-Cheap popcorn
Children from Kenya.
What I will not miss about Africa
-The attitude the locals have toward Mzungus (white people). Basically that attitude is a very inferiority complex like we have all the answers (maye thats our fault, don’t know).
-Mzungus on parade ministry (lets show the white people and locals will get saved is sometimes the mindset in Africa).
-The fact that Africans will never admit they don’t understand you, but will say yes to any question.
-The tendency of the church to simply care about numbers.
-Little kids yelling mzungu as you walk by.
-Not all, but many businessmen who try to rip you off.
-This tendency to let the guests take over the church, we ran every church service in Uganda and Tanzinia which is tough to do as our vision is to “come along side” the church here not to lead.
-The discrepancy in prices of basic products, toothpaste might be 50 cents, but deodorant might be $20.
-Sleeping under mosquito nets, they feel like prisons.
Stampede down the street.
-So as you see many of my difficulties about Africa stem from their view on white people and just any one from the West. I believe we have been a huge influence on this mindset through our “fix it all” missions mindset. I believe the African church needs to believe more in itself and its potential. I also believe the West needs to give less aid and more support. Come behind the church and lift it up not give them all the answers. They need the hand of a servant and not the voice of a leader. Leaders need to be raised up in the community here. Africa does not need more money from outsiders, it needs to rise up, believe in itself and live out the potentail that God has given them. Of course this is just my opinion and observation which no one would consider expert, and I in no way have all the answers. So in many ways Africa was so great but also so frustrating. On to Asia.
