A group of 6 white women in east Africa gets a lot of attention on its own. Throw in a black American and its amplified! While it is very flattering, it can also be very bothersome. Names like “Obama baby” and “black beauty” are thrown around and “beautiful” is the only word I can recognize in the midst of a Swahili pick-up line. My friends receive words like "Mzungu" and we all get asked for money and marriages.
We would take a trip to the city about twice a week and we would pass a group of men on our right. One man, in particular, would call out to me in Swahili. I only knew this because of our translator. I would politely smile and wave. There is no need to be rude; after all, he is complimenting me. But, this was the pattern. I never went to talk to him or even considered it.
On our way to door-to-door ministry, we passed a group of men hard at work on the land. Amongst them was the same guy I waved to bi-weekly. Again, I smiled and continued along the path. Then something in my heart clenched. This man was never offensive or vulgar, like some I have encountered, in his speech. He was always kind, according to our translator. I found myself wanting to talk to him and tell him about Jesus. That was it. I just wanted to tell him about Jesus.
I asked my team if we could stop and talk to them on our way back home. Rachael replied with an excitement I did not expect! “Why not talk to them now?!” Ha! So we did!
Rachael, Nadia and I started a conversation with 5 men about the love of God and the sacrifice of Christ. We talked about the cost of following Jesus and the reason it would be worth it for them. One of the men had already made the great decision to follow Him. The other 4 listened intently and spoke up about what they already knew. By the end of our conversation, the 4 men decided that it was time to live for something more. That day they made a commitment to live for Jesus for the rest of their lives.
I no longer see the shout outs as an annoyance, but as an opportunity to share Christ’s love through actions and, when appropriate, conversations.
How do you respond to strangers in the streets? Are you taking advantage of every opportunity to share God's love?
