Being in Africa, so far, has been amazing. I’ve learned so much and have had a lot of new experiences. In Ethiopia, the country has really pushed to move people out of poverty by means of promoting entrepreneurship and woman empowerment. You won’t see people begging on the streets or asking for handouts. They truly believe that in order to get out of poverty they can’t rely on handouts or foreign aid for help. Instead they push for education and learning trade skills to be able to make things to sell and create a business. People here in Ethiopia, don’t play the victim mindset. They carry themselves with grace and eloquence. They don’t act impoverished. I really respect that the country is trying to move away from a place of dependence to a place of efficiency and self-sustaining growth.
Another new experience on The Race I’ve had, is living in a community where I am the minority. I know in the United States, there are a lot of marginalized people living in minority. I never realized what that felt like until the World Race. It has increased my understanding and opened my eyes to all the things I’ve taken for granted living in the US. One day I went into the village’s center of town with one of our ministry hosts. When we got into town, everyone was staring at me and I realized I was the only white person around, and maybe the first white person they’ve ever seen before. I was in a sea of black and I felt very uncomfortable. It made me think and reflect on people in the US who live in minority every day. In one moment, I finally understood how these people might feel on a daily basis. I was put in a situation where I was able to step into their shoes and finally empathize with them, not just sympathize.
Getting to spend my month hanging out with orphan kids also opened my eyes. Going into it, I thought I was going to have to be gentle and sensitive to their “situation”. However, I quickly realized that they are just normal kids. They want to play and laugh and have fun. Yes, they may have been abandoned by their parents, but that doesn’t mean we have to treat them differently. They want to be loved and played with just like any other kid would want.
Just because someone comes from a different cultural background, or has a different upbringing, or is from a different race, doesn’t mean that we need to treat them differently. Technically, we are all different from each other, no two people are the same. Differences shouldn’t stop us from befriending someone or showing love to someone. These differences should challenge us to find common ground, and learn from each other.
Everyone deserves a chance to be loved and understood.
I want to end this blog with a quote from the book I am currently reading:
“My Generation knows that Racism is wrong, but we have not let go of the baggage from the years of being taught that my people (people who look like me, talk like me, and value what I value) is the only group that is worthy of respect and inclusion. When you learn something so wrong for so long, it is a desperately difficult task to unlearn these things. In fact, I’m convinced that the only way to cleanse our hearts and minds of prejudice is to allow the transforming power of the Holy Spirit to heal our thought patterns and hearts desires.” -M. G. Turner
