Africa: Then and Now

This week marks the longest I (Bruce) have ever lived in Africa.  When I graduated from seminary I went to Mombasa, Kenya for 5 1/2 months to teach in a Bible college there.  For no reason I'm aware of, I've had that span of time in the back of my mind since arriving here last July.  I've been thinking recently about that chapter of my life in comparison to the one I find myself in now and thought I'd share a little bit of it. 

When I landed in Kenya (I remember it like it was last week) I was a 29 year old single guy off on a huge adventure.  I was, on average, about 5 - 7 years older than the students I was teaching and I quickly began relating to them as much like friends as students.  We would hang out all the time, on evenings and weekends, and I would take one or two students with me when I ventured out for bigger adventures.  I remember one long time missionary telling me that I had seen more of Kenya in my few months there than they had in all their years.  I would hop on minibusses, takes trains across the country, walk all over strange towns, all without a second thought.  My classes were my "ministry" and I enjoyed them immensely, not just for the teaching but for spending the time with my student/friends. 

This time around things are quite different.  Seeing Malawi involves more eyes than seeing Kenya did.  I see this country through the eyes of my family now and as a result, I relate to it differently.  One way is that in Kenya I would venture anywhere (as most single guys are prone to do) whereas I do much less of that now.  Not only for fear of being stuck without fuel somewhere (which is highly likely nowadays) but also because I won't take the family someplace "just to see what might be there" unless I know something of what we can expect.  We travel into the local village all the time but, worse case scenario, we could literally walk home if we had to. 

As for teaching, I know God gave me a love and, if I could say, even a 'gift' for the art.  One big 'reality slap' that I should have expected (but didn't) was the fact that I'm now about 20 years older than my average student.  In a strange way, I still look at them the way I did with my Kenyan students - but they look at me differently.  It probably doesn't help that I look 30 years older than them instead of 20!  It's funny how many times teaching feels like preaching to me - except for the fact that I stop my 'sermon' a lot and ask the 'congregation' what they think.  Maybe not a bad thing for preachers.   

Socially, my family is now my primary social group and everyone else falls in line after them.  The past few chapters of my life have seen a whittling down of friends for many different reasons: some my fault (ie. lack of active pursuit), some their decision, and some, just by the mutually unspoken agreement that 'our' time was over.  I've made some great new "friends" in students here at ABC - but it's a little different than before.  I find myself being more like a 'mentor' or 'counselor' (or dare I say 'pastor') to them.  I'm getting more comfortable with this as the days go by - but it's still weird.

The journey of life and the passing of time has always been fascinating to me.  How people change; how perspectives change; how I'm as old as my father was when he had me; and how through all that, in a lot of ways, I still feel like the same 18 year old kid I was.  Currently I'm trying to process the fact that, for so long I felt like a "teacher trying to be a pastor" and now I'm surprised to myself feeling like a "pastor trying to be a teacher".  It's so hard to remember that I'm not what I do!  As someone once told me, "God didn't make you a "human doing" He made you a "human being" - so let the "being" dictate your "doing" not the other way around!" 

In all of this I still have a great love for what is unchanged.  I still love Africa, or more to the point, I love the people of Africa (okay - at least the people in the few countries I've seen up close).  I still love ministry.  Whether teaching or pastoring, the central question for me remains unchanged: "Can I walk with you toward greater mutual understanding of Who God is and how we are to live in light of that knowledge?"  Finally, I'm thankful for the fact that in a world of constant change at truly insane speeds (which I think is lesson number 427 as to why God gives us children) - and even despite the bad changes - God promises that He never, ever will.  God's heart delights over the same things that He always did.  God's passion for people does not come and go based on 'seasons of life' or 'whim'.  His character in relation to people is never "uncle", "great-grandparent" or "2nd cousin once removed" but always "Eternal Dad". 

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."  James 1:17