What a thought....
so today I was at work when one of my usuals comes in, a lady that I've had many long conversations about anything and everything, from the latest that's going on in the world to deep philosophical (sp?) stuff to religious stuff and she said something to me tonight that made me think and realize something that I thought about our country...
She inquired about my time in Africa and how it went and what I did, and before I could give a response to her, and overwhelming look of sadness came across her face and she asked "It was terrible wasn't it... the people so sad and poor and with nothing.." and it kind of left me speechless... I quickly told her how it was and what I did, but I was still unable to respond to her. After she left the rest of the night I pondered what she said and this is why I was left speechless...
My first thought about the country and the people was they are the most expressively happy people I've met in my life. Not only the Christian Kenyans but everyone there. The Christians more so, but still, there's just this joy about them... they don't feel sorry for themselves, why should we? So not once while I was over there did I feel sorry for them, I sensed such a strong peace in the people I worked and lived with for 9 weeks and even the people I met along the way.
All I can say is they are amazing people and we Americans have so much to learn from them, especially from the people that "materialistically" have less than us. But in all actuality they have so much more richness than we'll ever know. They know what it is to truly trust God and lean on Him.. something I know I won't ever fully be able to fathom, even as much as I try, it's something I fail at everyday. For example, the most incredible people I met there were the HIV people who still continued their days like nothing, giving everything they have to God, even though they don't know how much longer they'll live and even most days they feel so terrrible to even get out of bed, a bed that that is just blankets on a clay floor... that's amazing to me.
As much as my usual at work was sorry for the African people, I feel more pity for our country so much more... this is just one people group and this is just one of many, many things that I learned from them... IMAGINE what we could learn from the rest of the people groups in the rest of the world if we would just stop being so arrogant and give them the time to teach us...
She inquired about my time in Africa and how it went and what I did, and before I could give a response to her, and overwhelming look of sadness came across her face and she asked "It was terrible wasn't it... the people so sad and poor and with nothing.." and it kind of left me speechless... I quickly told her how it was and what I did, but I was still unable to respond to her. After she left the rest of the night I pondered what she said and this is why I was left speechless...
My first thought about the country and the people was they are the most expressively happy people I've met in my life. Not only the Christian Kenyans but everyone there. The Christians more so, but still, there's just this joy about them... they don't feel sorry for themselves, why should we? So not once while I was over there did I feel sorry for them, I sensed such a strong peace in the people I worked and lived with for 9 weeks and even the people I met along the way.
All I can say is they are amazing people and we Americans have so much to learn from them, especially from the people that "materialistically" have less than us. But in all actuality they have so much more richness than we'll ever know. They know what it is to truly trust God and lean on Him.. something I know I won't ever fully be able to fathom, even as much as I try, it's something I fail at everyday. For example, the most incredible people I met there were the HIV people who still continued their days like nothing, giving everything they have to God, even though they don't know how much longer they'll live and even most days they feel so terrrible to even get out of bed, a bed that that is just blankets on a clay floor... that's amazing to me.
As much as my usual at work was sorry for the African people, I feel more pity for our country so much more... this is just one people group and this is just one of many, many things that I learned from them... IMAGINE what we could learn from the rest of the people groups in the rest of the world if we would just stop being so arrogant and give them the time to teach us...