Fear is real, right?
Are there things in this world that we should fear?
Many of you who are reading this blog might even be a little afraid that God might possibly call you to leave America and do missions. I know there was a time in my life when I was afraid of that. I was afraid that I might have to sell everything I own, go live in a remote village in a third world country, and have to preach to witchdoctors that would try to poison my drink and throw spears at me as I told them about Jesus. It’s kinda funny, since many Christians have had these thoughts!
Now let me play out a scenario for you:
You’re sitting in your favorite spot at church on Sunday morning. The worship has ended and you take your seat as announcements are made. Coffee in hand, you are ready to hear what message the pastor will deliver today. He begins to talk about taking a leap of faith. He says that sometimes God asks us to do something hard and out of our comfort zone. As he explains some examples of what this might look like, he says, “Who knows. God might even call you to be a missionary in Africa.”
Ok let’s hit the brakes….Why is Africa always the final threat? It’s like if you are a very “unlucky Christian” God might send you all the way to…AFRICA!!! OH NOOOOO!!!!!!!
What Continent do you think of when I say…
AIDS/Deadly Diseases – AFRICA
Child Soldiers/War – AFRICA
Poverty – AFRICA
No Technology – AFRICA
Extreme Heat – AFRICA
Dirt huts and naked children – AFRICA
Being raised in the United States, we hear lots of rumors about Africa that instill fear about the continent. As we grow up, people that have never even been to Africa tell us scary things about it. Movies and the media relay stories of disease, starvation, and rampant killings. The news has fed us the bad stories and never the good ones (sounds a lot like what they tell us about our own country isn’t it). I often believed that going to Africa as a Christian most likely meant you’d never make it out alive.
Chelsey and I have spent 1 ½ months in Africa and I want to tell you that WE'VE BEEN LIED TO.
Yes, there is poverty and disease here.
Yes, there are many people with HIV and AIDS.
Yes, this continent has been affected by war and genocide.
But…
This is not what identifies Africa.
Here is the truth of our experience:
We’ve been lied to about safety as Christians in Africa. We have been WELCOMED in Africa with open arms and open hearts. We show up to people’s houses, tell them we are here to tell them about Jesus, and they gather any chairs they can find and invite us inside. Our hosts bend over backwards to make us comfortable and to serve us. As a visitor you are much more likely to be killed with kindness than anything else.
We’ve been lied to about war. The only war we have seen is a spiritual war, in which Jesus is the victor. Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army were in Uganda many years ago, and many lives have been affected, but Uganda is currently at peace. The last war in the central area of Uganda was in the mid-1980s. Rwanda hasn’t seen war in their country since 1994 when there was a terrible genocide. As you can see there has been war, but even America has seen its share of wars in the past. I’ve felt so much peace almost every place I’ve been in Africa so far. The streets I’ve seen aren’t lined with children wielding machine guns. Instead the children wave, smile, and say “Bye mzungu” which means “bye white skinned person.”
We’ve been lied to about disease and poverty. Being around people with AIDS doesn’t mean we will get AIDS. Disease is more prevalent here because preventative care and medications are not affordable and/or available to the poor. People who live in filth and unclean environments are more likely to have diseases and sickness. Our team currently lives in a home that is probably cleaner than my house in America. We can afford to buy clean drinking water and our meals are cooked for us each day. Most medications cost us $3.00 USD and you can walk into the pharmacy to get them without a prescription. I do realize that we are getting better treatment than most of the people around us. I’m just trying to dispel the lie that if you come here you WILL walk away with some form of sickness. If I’m being honest, I had an irrational fear that I would get AIDS after spending time here. I know it was dumb, but the fear was there in the back of my mind.
Our house in Uganda Our house in Rwanda
We’ve been lied to about the heat. There are seasons in Africa, just like America. Right now I’m sitting in 75 degree weather and tonight might get down to 65 degrees. A few nights ago, I wore a sweatshirt for the first time in several months. Africa is not always hot. It’s actually been very close to what I might call near perfect weather. Also the landscape is gorgeous! Hills, mountains, and green vegetation painting the ground as far as the eye can see.
We’ve been lied to about technology. Right now I’m using a USB modem that our team purchased for relatively cheap to write this blog from the porch of my Rwandan house. Not very many people use internet here in the remote village of Rwanda, but in Uganda many people asked me for my email address so they could keep in touch.
I’m not writing this blog to make you think everything is perfect in Africa. By no means! And yes I am over simplifying things here. There still are many countries and areas that are unsafe, filled with diseases and people are dying each and every day. The people here need so much more help and education to continue to fight disease, poverty, and political unrest. I believe now more than ever that we as Americas can play a massive role in bringing hope where there might not be much.
I just want to set you all free from lies! Lies telling you that Africa is a place only found in National Geographic. Lies telling you that you could never come here and make a difference. Lies that a call from God to come here is a death-sentence. At the end of it all, you, me and the people in my Rwandan village are all the same! We all just want to be loved! And we all desperately need the hope and love that Jesus freely gives.
Africa, I set you free. I will break the lies that have been fed to me and my culture for far too long. We no longer have to fear you. You are a place filled with natural beauty and even more beautiful people!!!
