�������������������������������� My sisters were shot at!
���
��� This is a reality of life in third world countries. Due to AIM's brilliant planning and scheduling of our route we ended up in Kenya for the month of February which in itself is not an issue. However their less than logical planning had us stay in Nairobi the week leading up to the presidential election. Unlike in America, elections in other parts of the world are not so civilized and controlled. Part of the uncivilized attitude is due to this entitlement mentality which exist in third world cultures.
The name you hear most in east africa is not "American" or anything of the sort. The word used for westerners in east africa is a Swahili word, mzungu, which literally means westerner. The downfall to this term is the association placed along with false ideology of who and what westerners are. Many children are taught to target white people because they are all wealthy and they only come to these places in africa to take pictures of how poor they are so they can go back to America and make more money. A sad truth of these cultures is how they the teach there children they deserve everything anyone else has, especially the mzungus, because the mzungus are rich or can get more of whatever they want or they don't deserve what they have because they don't know the value of things. As twisted as it is, they are not entirely wrong in their thinking but the actions taken because of this mentality are very wrong. I'll give you a few examples in chronological order since being in Africa.
Here in africa it is not uncommon for people to target the westerners to steal from. In Uganda we were all sleeping at a nice hotel, but this is the world race so of course we were tenting outside the nice hotel. In the middle of the night, an African man came into our campsite with a machete and began slashing tents. When he was able to reach into the tents he started taking anything he could grab. It didn't bother him waking the people sleeping in the tent at the time he was robbing them. But by the grace of God, no one was hurt.
Ugandan people are quite typical of east African culture, meaning they are what we would consider rude and ignorant. It is also common for east African people to be somewhat physical ergo pushing people out their way, cutting in line by force and things of this nature. But generally the people of Uganda are just something to adjust to, not really a threat. However, entering Kenya we met a whole new extreme to this culture. Rudeness was exaggerated greatly with extremely inappropriate comments and words then later followed by actions. The Kenyan people were different than Ugandans but still more of a test of patience than anything. For example, Kenyans would boldly walk up to you and demand rather than request things like, "Give me some money" or "You will gift me some of your things." This was until one of our last days in Nairobi during our debriefing before heading to Tanzania.
Two of my sisters were walking home from the mall which was about a mile away from our hotel. It had just fallen past sunset and was now getting dark when a white sedan pulled over in front of them, next to the sidewalk. Four Kenyan men climb out of the vehicle and start towards my sisters. One man pulls a pistol out of his pants and discharges two rounds into the ground at my sisters feet. Natural reaction sends them into shock and terror as these men grab my sisters bags then they return to the safety of their vehicle like any thieving coward would before driving away. Less than 15 feet away is a security guard with an AK-47 combat rifle yet he chooses to do nothing or react in anyway but instead other civilians, non Africans, came to aid my sisters. Once again, Gods grace kept all people involved out of serious injury.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't think AIM was at fault for this in any way because not one week later 19 people were counted dead and others were missing in Nairobi because of the hostility caused by the election. No, this situation is not AIM's fault but thank God for His grace because it was extremely imminent in saving our lives because of the environment were we placed in. The people committing these crimes have this notion of being entitled to whatever other people have. Their entitlement led them to stealing at an extreme of willing to kill someone to take what they wanted. The murderers during the Kenyan election felt entitled to have their opinion matter more than someone else's and chose to kill to acquire the attention they thought they deserved.
The same day we learn of the deaths in Nairobi we also experience the violent nature of the Tanzanians we will be living around for the month of March. All it takes in Tanzania to send them into a fit of cursing and damning you is the refusal to buy whatever crap the hockers are trying to sell. We have yet to experience any violence or theft in Tanzania and I pray we never do however the first impression of the culture here was extremely repulsive. Drug and alcohol abuse are quite prevalent in this part of Africa which makes communicating reason and faith that much more difficult.
Truth – I don't want to be here. Also truth – I don't want to be home (confusing, I know). Reality – I know this is where I need to be no matter how much I do or don't want to be here because who else do these people have. This is not to say I am better than anyone else who has been or will be here, it is saying I am the person whom God has chosen to be here right now which means I am the resource these people have right now. I cannot allow my own entitlement mentality of safety and comfort cloud my judgement or conflict with my obedience to Gods. Look, I loved Uganda and I didn't particularly dislike Kenya either but this doesn't change the fact of east africa being a dangerous place. Yet God is sovereign in all things and His will is perfect.
As He leads me,
Jason
Post script – Which part of your life is entitlement controlling your obedience to God?
