Assimilation

As I write this, the soft African breeze sweeps through our house as I look out the window at the desperately unique yellow sunset that stretches across the sky and everything seems right. Everything seems good. Sadly everything is not ‘right’ in Kenya and everything is not good.

Home…a place where everything is “right.” Where everything is run in it’s proper order. Where government exists to serve…where love is the currency…where we have everything we’ll ever need and want. To put it bluntly…I want to go Home. Not America, but the place where “all things” are in proper working order. Christians, though, are supposed to bring the ‘home’ of heaven to this earth. We are supposed to model it. Seems so easy until we realize we have an enemy who is bent on making it as difficult as possible.

Ruthie and are assimilating ourselves into two different cultures at once. We are assimilating into the Kenyan culture which has different intricacies than our “normal” American culture. Things are just different. In Kenya different values are held higher and some lower. American culture is not better….just different. Kenyan culture is not better…just different. However, Heavenly culture is better. And because of that Ruthie and I try to simultaneously merge our minds and actions into that of our heavenly culture as well as the Kenyan culture.

Currently I’m wrestling with how to be a Christian over here. The need is overwhelming. Our God is not overwhelmed though so Ruthie and I increasingly tune our ear to His words to get his perspective. We are both looking forward to see the fruit that comes from our few years here in Kenya. Even if we don’t see fruit and simply plant seeds (lots of seeds, mind you) that will be ‘ok’ with us as long as we’re doing what we’re called to be doing.

The adventure starts…..