Living in third world countries for the past five months has impacted me more than I could have ever imagined. Some days I forget that I am even living overseas and other days it is so evident. I experienced culture shock for the first time when I got to Rwanda. The houses were so run down and people live in what Americans would consider to be extremely uncomfortable conditions. My team of seven people lived in an extremely small house with three bedrooms, one bathroom, and a small living room/dining room. We also lived with four other people besides our team.
Up until this point on the race I had been relatively comfortable in my living situations. Up until this point I had always had running water, a shower, and a flushing toilet. In Rwanda we took bucket showers that were ice cold and we would brush our teeth outside in the front yard while everyone in the neighborhood would stare at us and yell “muzungu” (which means white person). For the first time on the race I began to truly miss all of the comforts of living in America.
For the first time I began to feel homesick and imagined myself going home and looking forward to the end of the race. It was a confusing time for me because I absolutely LOVE being on the race and this is probably the happiest I have ever been. I hated that I was thinking about home so much and that I was in this funk. I didn’t realize that what I was experiencing was actually culture shock until yesterday when I was talking to an American who has been living in Africa for the past few years told me that’s what it was.
Luckily my culture shock only lasted about a week. Soon bucket showers and brushing my teeth outside became my new normal. I decided to focus less on the uncomfortable circumstances and more on the love and joy that was surrounding me. Rwanda turned out to be one of my favorite countries on the race thus far. The relationships I made with our host family and the kids that ran around the neighborhood far outweighed my physical circumstances. I began to realize all of the things that I did have.
I have a community of believers that I get to do life with everyday who pour life and truth into me. I have a bed to sleep in. I have food on the table. I have people all around me that I get to minister to and show Jesus’s love to. I have a whole backpack full of clothes. I have the opportunity to experience new cultures. I have joy and laughter every single day because my joy is not dependent on my current circumstances but it is dependent on the fact that Jesus Christ shed his blood so that I can live in full freedom.
Coming up on the Christmas season I have been reflecting a lot on how much God has truly blessed me. I used to allow myself to be so consumed with material things and Christmas was always about getting nice presents. This year I will spend Christmas in Uganda with my little team of five women and our host Anne and her foster son Pedro. We won’t get a bunch of presents. We won’t get to be with our families back home. But we will get to experience love, joy, and sweet community. It’s so easy to forget the true meaning behind Christmas. But this year without all of the glitz and glamour I will get to simply remember that many years ago our Savior was born in a tiny stable in Bethlehem. I know that this will be a Christmas that I will remember forever. And even though I won’t have much this Christmas, God has already blessed me far beyond what I could have ever deserved.
