Just kidding. Kind of. 🙂
If I had to pick a theme word for our Kenyan month, it would be “marriage.” Several reasons…
a) At least 4 Kenyan men have asked Sarah how many cows she is worth…
b) The Spanish soap opera dubbed in English is full of marriage…
c) Our team has been listening to a podcast series on Song of Solomon
d) Pastor Abraham & his wife have shared their love story with us.
e) Our host family parents shared their love story as well…
For some reason, marriage just keeps coming up in conversation. Sometimes it’s fun. Other times it’s a bit annoying… but marriage has definitely been a theme.
In America, engagement comes before marriage. Typically the man gives the woman an engagement ring. In Kenya, he gives cows to her family…hence the men asking Sarah her worth in cows.
I promise there is a point here…
Engagement. Now I’m talking about engagement in the sense of being engaged in something.
Dictionary.com’s definition of engage: to occupy oneself; become involved.
As I have been thinking about marriage & engagement, I have thought back to the class chapel in which Dr. Jay encouraged us to be engaged – and not just in terms of our MRS degrees.
World Race Month 5. Am I engaged? Am I engaged in the ministry this month? Am I engaged in my team? Am I engaged in my relationship with God?
I have been trying to answer these questions + others similar.
Up until our final week here, I am not sure I can really say that I’ve been engaged in Kenya. I love this country. I love the people. I absolutely love the children. Have I really engaged myself? Not really. Did I just waste an entire month? Maybe. [Read my Lonliness blog for more info]
A journal excerpt from Jan. 27:
“I have kind of let this month pass me by. I have wasted it. I only have 6 more months. I cannot afford to do this again. I really need to jump in hardcore starting right now.”
So. Right now, I’m declaring that from this point on, I will be fully engaged in the World Race. I will be fully engaged in my team. I will be fully engaged in my relationship with God. I really cannot afford to not be engaged.
That’s it. I’m ENGAGED!
