Coaching at RashidatO.com | Social Activism at Whereveryougolove.com
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“How was school today?”
“It was good…”
“What did you do?”
“We sang songs with the kids during the break and then they had dance tryouts. They were moving their hips in ways I can’t imagine trying to move my hips!”
I smiled. “What was the dancing for?”
“Im not sure, but I would imagine you will get a chance to experience it tomorrow when you go for the afternoon classes”.
The next day I did have an opportunity.
During our time in Zambia we started the month in an area called Chongwe. We lived about 20 steps away from our Man of Peace in another house. Each day in Chongwe we walked 3 miles up rocky roads, down hills, and across beautiful terrain to teach at the African Hope school of Chongwe.
Our ministry at this school allowed us to preach the gospel in the classrooms, during chapel hour, and make relationships with the students while they were on their class breaks.
Our month in Zambia has allowed us to experience more culture of the country than any other country we’ve been in during the Race.
On this particular day, the day after dance tryouts, we spent time with the kids at the school sign. It was a cool place to sit. With the young children we played the ABC hand game while 2 of us got to discuss some hard Jesus questions with some young men in grade 9. It was so awesome to hear their hunger for the Truth. The Holy Spirit ushered us through such an amazing conversation and later we migrated to the shade of a tree. Some of the little ones wanted to play in the girls’ hair, but we put some boundaries to stop that.
So instead we sat and talked. We as a team had been wanting this since our first day at the school. For days the students only stared rather than speaking. It was quite unnerving since staring in America staring is considered rude, but more so because we just aren’t that interesting. So finally, as we talked amongst ourselves, a few grade 8 girls came to sit and talk with us. It was like pulling teeth to get them to talk at first. They were shy and would smile and giggle when we asked them questions. I started by asking them about their families because that is what we were discussing when they sat down. It was obvious that it made them uncomfortable. So next I asked…
“What do missionaries usually do when they come to visit you?”
“They say hello. We all take a picture. Then they leave.”
My heart broke…
“I am so sorry that they did not ask about your story. Your story is important. I wish they would have asked you about it.”
We sat in silence for a minute.
Then they started to talk…
“I am not from Chongwe. I am from Lusaka. My family sent me here for school.”
I was grateful that she felt more comfortable to talk. I was grateful that we got to know them a little bit. When I asked the question, I really wanted to understand why the children all stared. I learned, indirectly, that the children were usually used to be seen and not heard. That these children had not been extended the opportunity to have a voice.
Again, my heart broke…
It made sense why it took most of the first week to get them to open up to us.
As we sat we heard the beat of the African Drums as our soundtrack in the background. I couldn’t see the group, but I could hear the joy that emanated from that area. We had another long silence in our conversation and I asked the girls “what’s going on over there”?
“They are dancing! Come and see!”
We followed the 3 young ladies over to one of the classrooms. The group allowed us to come in and watch them practice. WHAT A LIVELY EXPERIENCE THIS WAS!!! I wish I would have gotten video and I apologize for not doing so! As we sat there I asked questions about what was going on…
“The students are practicing for a dance competition that we have with schools in the province. Right now each tribe is showing us their dances so that we can decide which dance everyone will learn and do for the competition.”
“Wow, that’s awesome! How many tribes are here at this school?”
He named a few tribes as the drums continued to play in the background. We sat, watched, and chatted as the practice continued. When the day ended we headed home to eat, debrief, and turn in for the night.
We gathered on our porch and started to talk about our day.
“How was your day?”
“It was great! We got to see the kids dance today. It was awesome!”
“SO, you got to see them twerk?” my teammate says with a smirk on her face.
I furrow my brow and respond “no they weren’t twerking. We got some information about what exactly the dancing was from.” I started to explain what the teacher shared about the tribal dancing and the competition they were preparing for.
“I’ll be honest, as I started to watch the practice I blushed a bit. These teenagers were happily ‘shaking what their mamma gave them’ in ways that I chose not to do in America. But as I thought about it I had to remember that this was a cultural dance that had a purpose to them. Tribal dances were used to welcome visitors, to pray for rain, and other things; Rather than in America where dancing is used mainly for lust. These kids weren’t “twerking”. That comes from American culture with a very different mindset.” My teammates processed that and discussed a little longer during our debrief.
Singing and dancing are such a huge part of the African culture. It is very much a huge part our American culture as well. Later this month I had the opportunity to discuss this topic more with the youth of Zambia. I got to share a topic that I hadn’t realized I was so passionate about.
“God is the Creator of EVERYTHING! And everything that God has created is good. God created our hips. God created rhythm. God created music. God created singing. God created dancing. God created sex. And He created all of it ‘Good’! So I encourage you, don’t put God in a box by not enjoying all these things for the glory of His name. None of these things are inherently evil. We pervert these gifts from God with the sin nature of our minds, but that is not what anything in this world was created for. Don’t reject the gifts of culture, but redeem them! Use them to glorify Him! Dance as David danced… in glory of God!”
While we have been here in Zambia, God has given our team the chance to hear the stories of the children in this nation and to encourage this nation to redeem their culture for His glory. I encourage you in the same way. Take the time to discuss the hard topics with your children. You don’t have to know all the answers. It gives you both the chance to grow in God together. And as you grow in Him, ask the Holy Spirit how you can redeem some of the perverted things in our culture. Discuss it and enact it. God has given us so many gifts of pleasure in this world. Do not reject God’s gifts, yet learn how to righteously used those gifts to glorify Him… and share that with your children.
