Global Ministry-American Style?
I enjoy good friends in Kenya, like Pastor Francis Koriata, a member of the Maasai Tribe.
I have had some great times with Pastor Francis, as well as occasional misunderstanding, but our friendship has been solid through the years. I have learned that there can be cultural, societal, and ethnic differences that need to be overcome sometimes for us to become better friends and to be more effective in all that we do.
Often, while walking through the city, a Kenyan friend will grab my hand and we will be walking and talking-hand in hand. A man holding hands with another man would be considered a very odd thing to do in the US and it made me feel a little uncomfortable at first. But now I enjoy it and it makes me feel that our friendship is more cherished and special.
Serving in an International ministry, I realize that we can have a tendency to see things in our own perspective and don’t realize that sometimes we need to admit that we have a filter that can shade the way we see things.
I had someone from America donate some clothes to give to the poor. While at an orphanage at Graceworks in Meru, Kenya, we distributed clothing, but the clothes that we received from our American friend was much too large for even the largest person in the whole village. I am pictured holding up some pants that could have fit two Kenyans into the one pair!
One of our church teams from the US were touched by the plight of girls at the Comido School in the Kwa Njenga slum who frequently quit school early because when they start getting their period they can’t go to school, fall behind, and end up withdrawing. At first, we didn’t quite understand how having a period would prevent someone from going to school. After realizing that they didn’t have feminine hygiene products, the team raised money when they returned back home and then when they came back to Kenya, we presented the school with the boxes of hygiene products. (pictured)
Months later when I met with the Principal of the Comido school, Pastor James Kariuki, I naturally asked him how it was going with the girls in school. I was surprised when he told me that many were still dropping out. Perplexed, I asked him why. He told me that some of the girls didn’t have underwear to hold the feminine hygiene products in place so it did them no good! This was something that absolutely did not occur to us to even think about.
Pictured is a feminine hygiene pack complete with underwear and washable hygiene pads that can be reused. We dispensed these years later at another slum school and learned through locals how to provide what works well here in Kenya.
After 8 ½ years in Kenya, I am learning that I don’t always have the answers and cannot single-handedly solve the problems in Africa. I have learned to humble my pride and realize that the American way isn’t the only way, nor is it even an effective way sometimes to reach other nations.
By sitting side by side, walking together hand in hand, working together with local Kenyans, we can make a difference in a real, lasting, and effective way. I have learned that sometimes a task-oriented, get things done method might actually be slower than to first take the time to get to know someone well so that you can understand more completely, and then be able to really help. This is something that I picked up from my Kenyan friends.
One day Pastor Frances called me and asked if I were in town. I told him that I was in Nairobi, but that I was planning to depart to the US in two days. Although he lived in Maasai land, about 5 hours away, he wanted to come into town to meet for a couple hours before I left. When we met, I asked him what he wanted and how we can best make use of our time to get something done so his 10 hours on the road wouldn’t be a waste of time. He told me that he just wanted to spend some time with me. That was it. I am still thinking about that and wondering if there is something that I can learn about Global ministry from my Maasai friend.
