if i had a dollar for every time someone has asked me how i feel about Donald Trump here in South Africa, i would only have $3 but that’s a lot for only 5 days here. the hot topic has been Trump’s latest comment on “sh**hole countries”, him saying all African countries are included.
i spent a month in Haiti and, in March, four months in Africa. i feel like i know these countries on a spiritual and personal level, seeing beyond their economic status and typical stereotypes. yes, these people are hurting and these people are not living financially to the standards of America, especially Haiti.
But one thing, especially about Botswana and Haiti, i’ve noticed is the contentment of the people. they may not have A/C, cars, the cleanest water, the best access to medicine or the outside world, but they are ok with it. the people there who know Jesus rely on him like their life depends on it, and i have met people whose lives really do. and people hearing who Jesus is for the first time, want to know Him more deeply than any non-christian i have met in the States.
as far as i can see it, comparatively, many of the countries that Trump referred to are not up to the standard socially, financially, physically that America has put in front of the whole world. but this reminds me of the parable of the woman who gives all that she has, even though it’s only 2 coins, Jesus having more delight in her giving all she had than someone giving more but a less generous amount. these people may not have much, but they have a lot to give, joy, light, life.
as someone who isn’t in politics, i see these people who are trying to come to America as people who are wanting a better life for themselves, being countercultural. i like that they are breaking the status quo and wanting to branch out, to be bold. these people are wanting what America has promised for generations, life, liberty, and happiness. i mean who wouldn’t want those things?
but i also do get foreign policy and that we have to control who comes into the country.
compassion. i don’t know what that looks like politically on the world stage, but these countries need it. at the end of the day, we’re all just people trying to make it in this crooked world. we’re just Sons and Daughters trying to make it home.
but i will nonetheless respect Trump. whenever people ask me what i think of Trump, i say that whether i supported him or not, he is my president and, as a christian, am called to respect him and go with what he says because i am not above the law.
i feel genuinely grateful for having spent time in countries he specifically addressed. i feel like that wasn’t a coincidence. i haven’t found out what the significance is regarding this topic quite yet, but i’ll let you know when i find out. i just couldn’t leave this topic untouched. Trump wasn’t wrong in saying (in a much harsher way) that these countries aren’t as developed as us, but i’ve seen the joy and the life that the habitants of these countries have to offer. God is still moving in these places, they aren’t hopeless, they aren’t lifeless. they’re still people, like you and i. but honestly, they’re happier than many, with a lot less. i think that these people follow Jesus with full faith and dependency, something i’m learning. they follow Jesus like the Lord intended it to be, life or death. there’s a lot we can learn from these people.
