America: An African Boy's Final Perspective.

Thanks for making it to this final perspective and well done if you have followed all my perspectives! I hope you have had a good read as i have enjoyed hearing compliments from different people regarding what i wrote. I have thought long and hard about this final perspective and i hope i can be able to put all my thoughts together in the following lines.

I guess i will start with some of the places/ events/ things that i have enjoyed most while here and they are in no particular order. I must confess that this country is more beautiful than i thought! I enjoyed the New England area so much, watching for the first time in my life the beauty of different trees bearing different colors was just amazing.
Off we headed to the west coast and had a great time at the Grand Canyon! This beautiful place just kept reminding me of the awesomeness of beautiful savior! I kept watching with awe the beauty of this place and i never wanted to blink even for just a second because i wanted to take in as much as i could see in the shortest time possible because there was just too much to see. From nature to spirituality, Bethel Church was an amazing place. I very much enjoyed being in their soaking auditorium swimming in the presence of God worshiping the risen Christ. I loved everything; the freedom and diversity as well as creativity in worship. Indeed it is a soaking place and i would recommend this place for all true worshipers.
Speaking to an attentive African American Students audience truly touched me. Watching them cry, laugh and smile as i shared my story with them was encouraging and reading their testimonies later was even more touching. It was good to know that some of them were struggling with the same things i struggled with at one point in my life and to hear and read them saying just like i did, they would never give up but instead strive on! Who knew an African boy's story would inspire an American boy and girl? Only God knew!
Watching the snow fall down for the first time was fascinating. With no previous personal experience wit it, i didn't know what to expect, even though i had read a lot about it both positive and negative. My own conclusion is that snow is pretty when you are watching it from inside than outside. I met someone who loves everything about snow; he told us he loves shoveling it, playing in it, watching it, everything. I wouldn't say the same thing about it (yet).
Having traveled to/though more than 20 States, i got the privilege of having favorites and although i must say each State is unique in it's own way, if i had to choose where i wanted to live in future, i would go in this order: Florida, California, New Mexico, Arizona...i guess you must have already figured out why. I enjoyed the sunshine in Florida and the warmth of the people there as well as the sea food, California is beautiful and i enjoyed their 13 lane free ways (especially when there was less traffic and we could drive fast with our windows down and fresh air coming in), Arizona and New Mexico are areas i would want to do ministry in because i saw some things that were similar to what we have in Africa.
The first place i felt comfortable at when i first came was the small Sunday evening prayer group. I went in there for the first time and at the end of the prayer meeting i felt i knew everyone there for decades! We were spiritually joined straight away and it became one thing i always looked forward to every week. It's beautiful that people who go to different churches can come together in prayer for the nations and the peoples and be in such strong spiritual oneness. To be sincere, i will miss this group so much because we all grew to know each other very well.
I have enjoyed some of the foods here; pizza here tastes better, i fell in love with steaks and sea foods and after a few hesitations (because of the name), i tried new soda called Root Beer though i know this will cause a few raised eyebrows back home. I have also enjoyed cookies made by my grandmas here as well as mother-in-law, i fell in love with apple pie and apple crisp, i enjoyed burgers too and my favorite being coulvers (not sure whether i spelt the name right) and also beef/pork roast.

There have also been things here that have left me chuckling and laughing. These crazy and funny things seem to only happen here in America and i can't wait to see the reaction on the faces of the people back in Uganda when i share these with them. Some of them are here: I doubt there's any other country in the face of the earth where people love their animals and pets more than America. Through our travels, we have heard and seen many things. We were told by someone how their mother loves her dogs more than her own children, we were told of a dog that sees a chiropractor quite often and has to be seen very early in the mornings before other human clients came in! It's ok to love animals, i had two dogs myself for hunting growing up and we have a beautiful dog in Soroti right now (in fact i had to shop for her a few playing dolls yesterday). My only problem is when people over do it and replace people with the animals and pets. My own belief is that nothing on the face of the earth should take the place for a human being because of the magnitude of the price someone had to pay for humanity!
Aside from pets, i have always laughed hard each time i hear someone misuse a verb or tense. We have always held it that English speaking people don't make mistakes because it's their own language and most of them have not had the influence of other languages (Uganda has over 53 languages and dialects). I have heard people use past tenses in place of past participles or present continuous tenses for example i heard someone say: "I have drove there several times...". I am sure this is going make many young people laugh back home when i tell them that even English people make such mistakes; we are not alone.
Another crazy thing is how people drink their drinks with ice in them even when the weather is freezing! I do like ice but i had never thought that people would put it in their drinks even during freezing weather conditions.
I have also seen that most people here consider themselves to be right in what they think or hold or know. I don't know how to put it rightly but that's at least how i feel.

In general, i enjoyed my time in America, i had a lot to learn and also a lot to be thankful for. It's different than watching it on TV, i must say Hollywood is not a real representation of America the way most people outside America think it is and i am grateful i got the opportunity to come visit and see it first hand. Tomorrow we depart for Uganda and i will carry with me memories; both positive and negative and hope to use this to create a positive and lasting impact in the lives of those in my sphere of influence. I have learned a lot that i hope to share with young people in my country.
Also, as i read the booklet i was given to read about American history in preparation for my citizenship interview, i have learned a lot of great things about this country that seem to be completely different from what is happening now. The founders indeed had a greater vision for this country and i would recommend that every parent gets a copy of this booklet not just for their children but for themselves too. I was surprised that a high schools student didn't know the name of the American national anthem, didn't know how many stars are in the flag and how many stripes are in the flag! Reading this booklet motivates me even the more to want to complete the process and become a citizen of this great country. (Keep praying for me in this regard).

I must also own up every word or sentence that has appeared in all my perspectives. None of my previous perspectives has changed and everything that i wrote before is still the way i first saw it or them for the very first time. I know some articles have been more critical than others and i am sorry if i stepped on your toes, but you must know that i am a free and honest thinker and i like saying things the way they are and express my thoughts the way i feel and my different perspectives have mirrored these. The next time you read from me, i will be writing from Uganda and i can't wait for my own experience in my own country after being away for the longest time ever, i will let you know of my culture shock in my own country if there will be any. Thank you so much for your love and support; you make us fight with confidence knowing we've got our backs covered. It was a pleasure to meet all of you and i hope to see you all again soon, if not in this life, then in the one to come. Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ and God the Father. Amen.  


      

America: An African Boy's Perspective 16.

So, as most of you know by now; we are heading out back to Uganda next week on Tuesday and we are all very excited to go back! I am forever grateful to God for the opportunity to come to the States, it has been a huge privilege for me, one that i don't take lightly and one that has given me many memories that i hope to one day with my children.
I have been encouraged each time we have met someone who said they had been reading my posts; i never knew in the beginning that this was going to be something that many people would be interested in and something they would look forward to reading each week.

The winter hasn't been as brutal as first feared and i am proud of myself for trying to enjoy it, even though this has come after numerous fears and worries. Now i can say i shoveled the snow, i played in it, and watched it from the comfort of a warm living room! As i prepare to go back to mother Africa, i have been recollecting and thinking about some of the things that stood out from my time in the States; some positive, and some negative. I know every single country under the earth surely has its pros and cons as well.

Two weeks ago, i, my wife and my mom in-law flew to Florida for some warm weather as well as seeing the grand parents; a trip that i enjoyed and one of the highlights of my time here. I was amazed that even though it was snowing here in Grand Rapids and there was no sunshine, as soon as we went up beyond the clouds, the sun was shining and seemed to be very hot! This was fascinating to me; because it had never occurred to me that the sun never stops shining no matter the weather conditions in the earth–indeed God is amazing!
I liked everything about Florida: the weather was perfect, the people in the park where our grand parents live are a great community–everyone greets each other, they have games and competitions, they have friends (our grampa told me they have made more friends since moving there than they have ever made in their entire lives!) and they have parties too! (we attended a Michigan dinner there and oh boy, it was marvelous. Seeing these old folks dressed like in the 50s and 60s and seeing them dance to the tunes of their times was spectacular! In fact we got so motivated that we had to join the dancing for a couple of songs, something that i have seldom done before). I was taught new games such as Bingo, Hand and foot, among others and was on the winning side a couple of times! In short, i loved my time in Florida and could live there if i had to because i love the company of old people; i always learn a thing or two from old people and that's why i love being around them.

One of the things that i have learned from here is honesty and integrity. We have met some people that you can sense and see that they are honest; this is an area that is somewhat not common in Uganda. I think because of the different tragedies that people went through, honesty got left behind as people started telling lies in order to get something or avoid something. I am planning to go back and put more emphasis on honesty and integrity among the young people that we minister to. Of course i know, reading from the social media that there are also dishonest people here, but i haven't met any of them so far, which, if it was in Uganda, would have been a miracle!

I have enjoyed my time in the different churches that we have gone to. I must say the word is alive and i personally received a word for my self in all the churches that i have been to. I have been blessed, encouraged and rebuked. But there's something that we have in Uganda that is missing here just like the church here has something that is missing in the church in Uganda. I could say that the church here is like wood that is lacking a fire to spark it off and the one in Uganda has a fire but lacking wood. By this, i mean that there's more encounters with God in Uganda than here, you hear more of people's encounters with Him and you can see and sense the workings of the holy spirit in the glow in their eyes when they talk about it; there's a spark in their eyes and excitement and you can see it in the way they worship and dance and jump and ululate, while here, people know more about the word, and i would say it seems to me like they have become more familiar with it that there's rarely excitement about it and rejoicing about it, at least that's how i feel. My biggest worry though is that in 10–30 years time, it may become harder to pastor people here because they will be even more knowledgeable and trusting in what they already know that they will feel it's a waste of time sitting there listening to someone say what they already know. Sermons will become more of debating topics for the people because everyone feels they know enough and their way is always the right way.
Of course there's no doubting that the whole church needs a revival and that revival must start from the States because of the influence of the church here to the rest of the world. People look up to America for almost everything and that's why the revival must start from here.
However, one time as i was praying, the Lord told me the church in China is alive and making progress and it's a matter of time before it becomes the most influential church in the Universe. This is because the persecuted Church is living and depending more on God; He is their banner, their rescuer, their provider, their refuge and they know Him in a deeper level than most of us do. That's why they are willing to die for Him! I have been wondering recently what my reaction would be if i had to choose between death for believing in Christ or denying my identity in Him and live. What do you think would be your immediate reaction? I admire those who practice Christianity in countries where it is illegal to do so and my desire is to one day experience what it feels like to worship with these brothers and sisters.

One thing that separates America from the rest of the world is the generosity of its people! We have been and continue to be blessed beneficiaries of this generosity and i think that's why people here have so much, because they also give out so much. I know in my church, this is one thing that distinguishes us from many churches; giving. It's a principle that i have learned in a hard way and one that i have reaped it's benefits and hope to pass on to my own children in future. It amazes me that children here are taught about giving from the young age, while our children learn more about how to receive and beg from the young age! in fact children in our home church here (Remembrance) always collect their offerings to support the work in Uganda and at the end of last year, they gave us money enough to buy a bunk bed in Uganda! If i had one thing to tell the people here, it would be to never stop giving and never stop teaching your children about giving because it is what sets you aside from the rest of the world!

I will continue from here next week with my final piece on this series before we head home; till then, remain blessed in Him.     

America: An African Boy's Perspective 15.

I must say your prayers for us over the last couple of weeks have been encouraging. We feel closer to making a final decision  now, keep praying for us and hopefully, we will have news about our return date by Tuesday evening next week; watch out for it.

It can be frustrating waiting for something that you don't have control over. You just keep praying and hoping and wishing. That has been and is still the case regarding when we are to return. It becomes even harder when you know that your call of duty is somewhere in Uganda, and yet here you are, still somewhat stuck not having the right answers. But blessed be God who gives us continuous encouragement and hope through His word and His body; without God's encouragement, i wouldn't be at peace at all.

However, in the midst of all this, the Lord keeps opening small windows of opportunities to serve; and serving Him excites me more than anything else. About a week ago, such an opportunity opened up for me. My "bestie" called me up one evening and asked me what my day looked like and whether i had some time. I always have time for him because he has a special grace of getting me happy and talking. After about 7:45pm, he picked me up, told me to pick a shovel and we off we went. I didn't know exactly what we were going to do this time around, but i couldn't ask because i didn't want to ruin a surprise; if that was what he was planning. I got a small tour of a large green house here in Grandrapids and later on, i was given an opportunity to drive on snow in that green house's large parking lot! I had never driven from here before since i don't yet have my drivers license; so, this was exciting, driving on snow was different from any other condition i have ever driven under! Felt strange and exciting at the same time and all the time, i was chuckling and laughing like a baby!

But, that was not the main thing. He told me there was one of his clients that he had seen that day that needed help. He had gone to give a routine service when he noticed that this old man, who is condemned to a wheel chair, needed help with his drive way. He couldn't come out on his wheel chair because the driveway was clogged with snow and his kids lived in a distant State. He thought that the two of us could provide some help by going in there and shovel all the snow and drive away so that this old man could wake up to a surprise in the morning! I was happy that he thought of me to help. I had never shoveled the snow before and this particular night was snowy and cold, but i felt this was a worthy cause to put my fears aside.
We arrived at our address and parked the car some distance from the house and armed with our shovels, we quickly accomplished our task. I actually enjoyed doing it! And with each shove that i made, the fear kept going away. Because of the liberation from the fear of snow, i was able to treat my mother-in-law to some jumps on the snow a few days later even though i was only wearing shorts!

After finishing up our mission, we went to a nearby McDonald's restaurant and had a meaningful discussion until the waitress politely told us they were closing. On the way home, i kept thinking how the Lord always looks at us when we are in different needs and situation that we can't help ourselves with and how He sends His angels and others to help us, i thought about my own life and the numerous times when things were out of my control and someone always happened to do something about it and the joy i always felt after each intervention. I hope that old man was happy to wake up and find his driveway clear; i hope it brought a smile on his face and i hope he was able to wheel himself out, even for a few seconds.
Over the years, i have come to believe that each act of kindness that we do, is a seed that we stand to reap from later on in life and if it's not us who will reap from it, then our children will. I hope to be able to do more of such acts this year and i hope you will continue to do the same too, because love conquers everything. 

I am already thinking about my last blogpost as the day for our departure keeps drawing near and i hope to share about my surprises, my joys and my struggles while in the land of the free. This should wet your appetite for that post.

However, since today is Martin Luther King Jr day, i thought i should leave you with one of his quotes that suits the writing and here it is, think and act it out. Bless you.

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'

Martin Luther King, Jr."

America: An African Boy's Perspective Part 14.

After going for a great breakfast at the Westsider with an uncle and then proceeding to the gold place to get some golf equipment and having some great shots at the indoor golf range, we later connected to the live global 31st/1st service that evening and rejoiced when it was declared that 2015 is our year of Triumph; i and my wife, there after drove to my favorite Steak House; Outback to join the rest of the family for the New Year's Eve traditional family meal. We later had games and prayer time until after midnight here with our Ugandan friend and his wife, and other family members. Everything was as good as it could possibly be. It was the best 31st of December day i had ever had. The next day, we were joining the mother-in-law, other family members and friends in giving out lunch packs to the homeless people in down town; yet another big day to look forward to.

The 1st of January 2015 arrived so fast and there we were, dressed as warmly as we could since it was a cold day to be walking in town. I am always excited when it comes to doing charity work and this day was no different. However, by the time we were done, i was very angry, sad and emotionally upset. I wanted to run away to some hidden place where i could be alone to process things. Usually when i am upset about something, i want to be left alone to process stuff, but sometimes it's very hard to be alone.
Anyway, i was upset about many things. We saw people of pretty different races, so, it was not anything to do with race; but broken dreams. I was mad because i am certain each of these guys at one time had dreams, may be dreams of having a great family, of being a good parent, i don't know but now, looking at their eyes, these dreams were gone. I kept wondering when it all got out of control; could it be their parents? could it have been friends? I even got angrier when i thought about what these guys could have been; may be some of them could have been doctors, teachers, preachers, may be even worshipers, etc.

There was an 80 something year old lady who was walking with her walker; Uncle Dave and Aunt Anne who were with me encouraged me to run and catch up with her and give her some food. I did and caught up with her. I called out: "Ma'am, good morning". She stopped and turned to look at me and her face was beaming with a big smile as she replied my greeting. I went on to ask her if she would do with some lunch and she was glad to have food. She thanked me and said a blessing and she continued. As i walked back to my group mates, my steps were heavier; i kept thinking how her normal daily routine was. Did she have children? How could she have ended up in the streets? Such a sweet old lady, out in the cold, her life in the hands of others than in her own.
We also met another lady whom we offered food. She declined it and said there were others that could do with it more than her. She told us about some children in one of the shelters who could do well with lunch since these kiddos get food at 5pm. That heart of a caring mother was still big in this lady. She had compassion on others worse off than her, she cared more for these little kiddos than herself when she could have taken the food for herself. I couldn't stand going in to take the food inside because i didn't want to look at these children.
Most of the people we gave food had that thankful attitude. They were grateful for the food and always said "God bless you and Happy New Year!". At least somehow, they know God is always in it.

We also saw two cases of some people lying down by the road side. They looked very sick. One seemed to be getting attention from some cops while one was lying out in the cold and a lady (probably his girlfriend) was kneeling down by his side trying to give him some help.
I thought about how privileged we were to be inside a warm car and driving back to a warm house. These guys were out in the cold, waiting for the time when the shelters would be opened for them to go in later in the evening. How do they even get their treatment?

As i looked at these guys and knowing that the devil had robbed them off of their inheritance and futures, i got so angry with satan that if i knew where he was, i would have gone there straight to fight him. I also kept thinking about my own self; may be i could have ended up like one of them, had God not intervened and kept bringing the right people into my life at every delicate stage. I thought about all these people and how they each appeared and came into my life just at the time when things seemed to be getting out of control, and i prayed for them and thanked God for them. I kept wondering whether each of these guys had a privilege of meeting such people. Were they told the truth before their lives turned upside down? did they hear about His saving grace? Did they even have a choice in the events that led to their current state? How about these innocent children; born in the streets and raised in the streets, did they get an opportunity to be taken off these streets and given a home? I have little information on how things work out here, how the kids get taken to foster care and all that, so, all my writing is based on my own feelings. I have had contact with street children in Uganda, but not the homeless adults. So, that was quite an experience for me.

I know giving them food is great, but as good as it is, it's temporary. I am wondering whether some of these guys can be rescued and helped to get off the streets and lead normal lives, especially the younger ones. Could they be damaged beyond repair? Can some of them be salvaged?
I think this calls for us to share the gospel more and more and help people see the light before they are robbed off by the enemy in our own eyes. I wish there was a way for me to sit down and listen to these people's stories. May be if they had heard the good news of the saving grace of Christ before, may be one or two of them would have been rescued from going down to their current state. 
I am glad i am not them and can't imagine if i had to trade my life with any of these guys even if it was just for a day! I know i am very blessed and privileged; i can't complain about anything, this has given me a new angle to be even more grateful. I can open the refrigerator and see all these options of what to eat and drink, and yet down the road somewhere, someone is hoping and praying for what i already have in front of me!
From that day on, i have purposed to keep praying for these homeless people, i know some of them don't even have anyone intentionally praying for them; i will keep praying for the Father to rescue them and for His will to be established in the hearts of these men and women so that some day, even though they are homeless in the earth, they will have an eternal home in paradise; just like poor Lazarus.

America: An African Boy's Perspective Part 13.

Our family could really do with your prayers right now. Beckie is down for the second day running with fever and general body ache and my self, am feeling general body weakness since yesterday. We know the power of prayer and that's why we are asking you to cover us in prayer.

Last week was really a great week for me personally. Gathering with friends and family ere and preparing Ugandan breakfast and lunch on Wednesday was fun. My mother-in-law (bless her Lord), woke up at 5 am to start smoking the meat because me and Beckie together with our Ugandan friend were craving for pasted smoked meat stew (this actually turned out very well!). My sister-in-law and her husband had also sent us locally raised chicken for the day as well as two live hens for my birthday! Then to put the icing on the cake, my wife came in beaming with a huge smile on the same day with some precious mail in her hands; my long awaited green card had finally made it and the Michigan Secretary of State had also found it necessary (at least in my mind), to send my State ID on the same day! I couldn't stop smiling and blushing like a little kid; The Lord's timing was just very perfect!
And then the next day on Christmas; was my birthday! My mother-in-law together with my wife and other family members teamed up to make it such a great and memorable event! I must admit it was my best birthday yet and i really feel blessed and privileged and after reading on, you will understand why i am feeling blessed and privileged.

Growing up, birthday was not different from any other day. No one celebrated them and most rural people up to now don't even remember their birthdays; if you ask the when they were born, they will probably tell you January 1st, because that's a date that is easy to remember and most people count their ages from the 1st of every year. My first birthday was celebrated when i was 26 in 2011 when i joined my current church. There, even if it's an African founded church, birthdays are celebrated and i was surprised when the pastor had announced there would be a leaders' meeting that was mandatory for every leader and others who hope to be leaders to attend. Only to enter church and everyone was singing "Happy birthday, we are saying we love you, God be with you till the end of time, we are saying well done". I was shocked, not only at the party, but also the new song, i was used to hearing "happy birthday to you...". They had cake and snacks and my first birthday gift ever was an apple and a chocolate candy, from a dear sister from church. People had not yet learned more about gifts, but at least, this was a good start since the church branch had just opened in my district 6 months before my birthday. I am happy that birthdays are now a big thing among the hundreds who attend our church.
I must also note that, at least among the middle class and university students, birthdays are these days celebrated (in fact while at university, there was a noted girl who always told her suitors her birthday was a week or so away so that they could bring her gifts; she had a birthday almost every month, because she wanted more gifts!). The trends are changing with the new generation, however, deep in the villages, birthdays still remain a mystery.

Christmas in America was more grand than i thought it would be. People here put in a lot into nativity and decorations. Driving through state after state on our way back from California, we saw numerous kinds of decorations; some modest and others so grand. There's no doubt people take it here more seriously (at least from the outside). But i kept thinking whether they take the same way from the inside! Is the Lord that grand in their hearts? Or is it just a fashion statement? Not judging anyone here, but that's just how i thought and i remember sharing this with my wife and we both wondered whether all these homes with these grand decors had a grand relationship with the Lord.
This is not to say that back in Uganda, people are saints; far from it. Growing up, Christmas was more of a day of eating good food (at least from a child's perspective). In most years, it was the only day most families would eat meat and rice or meat and posho (corn bread). And it was also the only day kids and mothers as well as daddies got new clothes. It was also (still is), the only day the whole village went (goes) to church! In most churches on Christmas day, men carry their own chairs to church and women have to carry their own mats to sit on because churches get so full, that other people will have to sit outside and listen, while others stand and peep through the windows! Everyone remembers the Lord on that day.
Christmas is also associated with feasting and drinking. People in villages usually collect what is needed and make local brew in one home where 10 or so families will gather together after lunch and sometimes dinner, to drink the local brew (usually from the 23rd of December to the 5th of December). Children would sit in one place with their own pot of brew drinking while adults sat in the big local tent or shade of a tree to drink. When it became dark, then music would start blaring (growing up, my uncles would play local instruments as we the children danced to the rhythm). However, these days radios and speakers are every where and you can hear sounds coming from different homesteads as the winds carried the sound waves in different directions. We, the children would always have dancing competitions where the winner was usually given about 1 cent! But it was fun!
People planned for the next Christmas on the last day of drinking in January on who would host the next celebration and what would be eaten. Some groups would plan to buy a piglet and raise it through out the year for slaughter on the day and the pork either cooked in one home where everyone gathered or distributed equally to every household for them to cook and eat in their own houses and then gather for drinking in the selected home. Other bigger and ambitious groups would buy bulls for Christmas. Food and drinking and music surmised the day.
It is also a day when family from far came home in the village. Those in distant schools, family members working in the cities and other urban places always return to the villages for Christmas. Public transport fares are always high and in some cases doubled a few days to Christmas because usually there are more travelers than vehicles.

When it comes to gifts, as i mentioned earlier, the gifts are always clothes and shoes and food. Women in the villages always perm or treat their hair during the festive season. The gift that stands out in my mind was how my grandmother would pound groundnuts (what you guys call peanuts here) with salt on it and would give each grandchild a portion in the morning before we went to church! Kids looked up for this gramma's special gift. Nothing like what kids here get, no toys, no painting stuff, nothing. That's one thing i liked about Christmas here. Watching the excitement in the kids' faces as they open their gifts and make grunts of joy as they hold their toys or whatever gift for all to see. That's very nice.

On New Year's eve, in the villages, usually people drink (drink either alcohol or milk tea and soda for born again Christians), share stories and stay awake until midnight. When the clock hits midnight, then ululations can be heard from all directions and shouts of joy accompanied with drumming, burning of car or bicycle tires (poor man's fireworks) and declarations of what the Lord has done for them in the previous year as well as announcing of their new year's resolutions.
Among Christians however, there are usually all night prayer and worship meetings every New Year's eve. Last year, for the first time, we had fire works display in our church during our new year's eve service. It's one of the most important services in the year for me and i am happy that since it's a global service for our church, at least i will be able to participate on line on Wednesday! (thanks to the joys of technology).

I am so thankful and privileged to celebrate the festive season in two different cultures; seeing the good things as well as the bad things of both, it's something that i am looking forward to sharing with my kids and grand kids and you never know, as long as the Lord tarries, may be even with my great grand kids! Happy New Year to you all, thank you so much for being a part of our 2014, hope you will continue being a part of our story in 2015, God bless you all! And by the way, thank you so much for the birthday cards and wishes; i got the biggest number of birthday cards ever!
With much love,
Ruudy and Beckie    

America: An African Boy's Perspective Part 12.

My sincere hope is that, this post will get people talking, thinking, debating and praying afresh about and for Africa. I am warning you in advance that this post is relatively long, but i hope it will make some sense to you.  Billions of dollars from America and other countries have been spent, and yet, nothing much seems to change. This shows us that the continent's problems lie beyond money. The greatest problem Africa is grappling with, is lack of self esteem and/ or confidence. Was this problem there since creation, no, i don't think so. But with the advent of colonialism, esteem started dropping as tribe after tribe was brought down to submission. And after nation and nation gained independence, the colonial masters forgot an important thing; they forgot that they had decimated the people's self esteem and confidence and hence, needed to work on this, to ensure the nations continued to develop and prosper. Subsequent tribal and guerrilla wars that marred the continent further helped to create a situation of helplessness and begging.
Since coming to America, i have observed something striking that has somewhat, helped me to put into perspective how Africa's esteem problems must have started. I have observed that here, most dogs love cheese; my mother-in-law's dog even knows the sound of a paper used for wrapping cheese! And once in a while, i have observed the excitement in the faces of the dogs when they see that they are about to receive a treat, which in most cases, have been cheese. The dogs can do any tick that they are asked to: greet with one paw after the other, lie down as if dead, walk on hind legs, etc; because they know, after all these, they will get a treat! The same happened and still happens in relation to African leaders and their powerful western masters; they are pawns; they have to do what they are told and how they are told, in return for much needed aid and other forms of assistance. Some of these leaders have become very good at performing that they have amassed a lot of treats! The biggest problem is, do they think for themselves? can they ever make their own decisions without influence and consultation with their masters? I don't think so. and because most of these leaders have had to perform in order to get aid and all this stuff, they have personalized whatever their governments have received in aid, and have swindled it into their own personal accounts, hence the emergence and increasing rise in corruption. And what is disturbing is that, these leaders are doing the same thing to those they govern, they make them dance to their tune and do as they are told, in order to get ministerial rewards, juicy employments and other privileges. This has given rise to generations of people who have gone to school and attained good academic papers, but can't think independently. Someone who wields whatever power over them has to think for them, and some have given up on their own abilities to cause change. Because of low esteem, most people have surrendered their rights and talents to some "superior" individuals and systems.

Should the continent keep mourning about the stolen minerals and other resources? No, i don't think so. Africa still has enough resources to lift it self up from its current state of quagmire. So, how then can the west help the continent come out of its state? That's the greatest question of the day.
As stated earlier, the confidence/identity/esteem crisis needs to be addressed before any meaningful change and transformation can take place and this needs to be addressed from bottom up and not top to bottom.
First, we need to understand the people and how the systems work, before anything else. The African culture is all about relationships first, then tasks/needs. Relationships are so much valued and are sacred. There's a saying that "blood is thicker than water"; this is entrenched among the people. This means brother/sister/father/mother/relative comes first before "a friend". Close friends usually become brothers or sisters; but this only happens after they prove themselves to be worthy of the acceptance. There's a lot of treachery and secrecy among the African people; your ability to keep a secret is key in all relationships; and in order to be trusted with some of the deepest secrets, you must prove your ability by keeping minor secrets (sometimes even if a gun is pointed at you!). The normal friends take the place of water and this means a friend can be sacrificed instead of a brother. And being considered a brother or sister is not something you achieve easily, it takes time and can be frustrating at times, because it some times entails lies in order to protect the "blood" and sacrifice the "water". So, for anyone who desires to cause meaningful change in a person or society, the most single important thing is working yourself to become part of the "blood" and once you achieve that status, then you can begin to influence. This reminds me of two examples; first, while in South Sudan a few years ago, living in the most remotest places i have ever seen, among some of the remote people (they were about 50 years behind civilization), there was a remarkable story of a former Dutch journalist who had gone there to cover the war in the 1980s. However, one day, the situation changed and all foreign countries had to evacuate their citizens and this guy, because he was deep in the bushes covering the war in the rebel territories, got left behind! The Dinka rebels took him in as one of them, he was given protection and those assigned to protect him were told their lives depended on the Dutch man's safety. They liked him, and loved him, he became one of them and he liked them and loved them and wanted to become part of them. They trusted him and he became their "wise judge". After the war, they told him he was free to go back to Holland, but he declined it and told them he was now a Dinka and wanted to stay. They gave him a local name and made him their chief judge. His words and judgement were made final and hence, he started influencing how justice was being administered among the people; he became "blood".
The second example is that of the early missionaries. These men and women came from distant places; they journeyed into the unknown, with no vision trips, but maps! They said their last goodbyes to their loved ones before departing, knowing that they were never going to see each other again (at least not in this world). Someone once told me these guys had to pack some of their belongings inside their coffins. Some grandparents never got to meet their grand kids, because they were born in the mission field. Some of these missionaries got killed by either the animals or the hostile African tribes; but many of them, got accepted and received and as time went on, they became part of the people, part of the tribes. They learned the local language, ate local food and became "blood" rather than just friends. Their influence was immense, as the local people believed in God, they gave their lands freely for churches and schools to be built. My grand parents and other old people i have come to interact with over the years always pridefully recollected how they used to walk for a day or two to go for Sunday service in in the nearby church! Imagine going to church started on Friday or Saturday and then you returned home by Monday or Tuesday! They also shared how they lobbied for the churches to be built nearer to them.

The above examples show us, how change was caused by first of all, building a relationship and then after becoming part of the "blood", change started taking place. The biggest difference between the western culture and the African culture is that, in the west, task comes first, while in Africa, relationships come first, before task. That's why most humanitarians from the west have gone to the continent and gotten disappointed and frustrated at the way people are "lazy".
One other helpful thing for someone who wants to cause change in Africa is that, among many tribes, a visitor is a blessing and therefore, everyone will put on their best smile and behavior when a visitor comes. They will say yes to almost everything the visitor says, but then after the visitor goes back, then they begin expressing how burdensome or naughty or good or whatever, their visitor was. In my own culture, usually when a visitor comes, he or she is not expected to work or do anything for the first three to seven days; he or she is supposed to relax and share more about where they have come from. And then after this period, the visitor is welcome to work or join them in any activity (ies). In most cases, visitors from the west come and go straight to do what has taken them there! The people will say yes, and smile, but the impact usually is very minimal. And if the visitor leaves or buys for the people an animal or bird or even a cloth, then that thing will be named after the visitor (because the visit was short, that you never got to interact and be told what the real need was).
African people are very prideful and men especially, desire to be treated with dignity and respect. Usually, this entails listening to their views and thoughts. They don't like being told what to do without their contributions; but because of the confidence and esteem issues, they are usually not forthright unless they feel comfortable enough with the people they are talking to. I got to understand this better a couple of years ago when i was part of the research team that conducted a World Food Program research on the effect of aid by Non Governmental Organizations to the local people of three different communities in Uganda. Interacting with these people was mind opening. In one community that had been affected by the floods, Doctors Without Borders had responded by giving the local people toothbrushes and toothpastes. The people had never used any of these before and hence, it wasn't a need. They use sticks to brush their teeth and use sand to whiten the teeth. So, the toothpaste got put into tea, since the smell and the taste was good and the toothbrushes used for combing infants hair! There were many countless examples of western organizations trying to respond and help in the best way they know of, and yet the aid was or is not needed by the people; and yet these people will never say No to this aid, because they want to sound polite to the visitors! If someone had spent time with these communities, they would have known what the people really needed.

The other bunch of Africans that have received a raw deal of help is the orphans and other vulnerable children. There are many big organizations sponsoring these children; i have read and seen what really takes place and having worked with one of the biggest ones in our region, i am in the right position to make a comment. Child sponsorship became a gold mine in Africa following different wars and conflicts that have gripped the continent since independence and later on, the emergence of HIV/AIDS also left many children orphans, myself, inclusive. Nothing touches anyone more than a face of a suffering child; that's how powerful we are all connected to children and most of us want to help a child; which is a noble thing. However, my problem is with the kind of help these orphans receive. It's wonderful that most of these big western organization provide these children with food, clothing and some, playing materials and education. But my biggest problem and concern is, what do these children become a few years after the program? Most, if not all of the main stream child sponsorship organizations i know of, stop a child from the program when they reach 18 years of age. You must know that quite often, an orphan is treated as cheap source of labor, and as such, many care givers would rather have that child do garden and domestic work than send them to school. This means, they start going to school later than their peers and by the time they are 18, most would have not completed junior high school and some wouldn't have even completed elementary school, and yet they get dropped because they are now "adults". With that education, there's almost no job for these young adults. And what is even harder for them is that; once they get absorbed into the program, the care givers give up on helping them and when they go to junior high school (these are mostly in urbanized centers), they get a taste of a "better" life and so, when they get dropped, they really struggle because they don't feel comfortable going to their villages because they have had a taste of town life and yet, they don't have the education that is required to have a job in the town. I have also observed that the orphans who never make it to these sponsorship programs have relatively stable futures in the villages after they are 18 compared to those who later get dropped from the program.
This is not to say that these programs have completely failed, i have seen 2-4 orphans from two different organizations who, because of their excellent academic performances, have been sent to the university, even though they were beyond 18. My concern is for the majority. Less than 5% of the kids that go through these programs become success stories 5 years after getting out of the program. Let's work on making these success rates at least 30%. There's of course the aspect of misuse of resources. Most people who manage these organizations in-country earn less than $1,500 per month, and yet after working for a few months, they start constructing houses worth thousands of dollars, anyway, that's a matter for another day.
My recommendation would be to sort out these kids when they are in 5th or 6th grade and send them to various vocational schools to learn a skill or trade or even have people come from the west to go and walk alongside some of these kids, teaching them a trade or a skill.

The future of Africa is in manufacturing and industry. It's only in Africa where people sleep and walk on gold and other minerals, and yet go without food. The best help Africa needs right now, even the church there, is self esteem. And this can be achieved by first of all, engaging in meaningful relationships, relationships that are not started or flamed by finances, but those started and rooted in love, where finances are not the main thing. Relationship that become "blood" (one). These will take time and may cause frustrations, and will also help weed out those who want to become your friend for the money and those who are not. Usually the hardest thing is knowing when to say yes and no to whatever need that there is. I tell you the truth, when you respond out of emotion, usually you will end up doing a wrong thing. But if you wait until the emotions calm down and then spend time in prayer, the Spirit will guide you in the best possible way to respond. As we encourage and build these people up, we also have to be careful not to become their "saviors", because there is only one Savior and provider and we want to point them to Him. The move to build self esteem and confidence in the continent needs to have its focus on the church and the young generation. The day a quarter of the continent will have self esteem and confidence in itself to solve it's own problems, to let the things of the past be the past and focus on the future, the day young people in every country will speak these words with total conviction "We can change the world", then true change will come, good leaders will emerge, ethical doctors and nurses will emerge, engineers, entrepreneurs, business men and women, pastors and evangelists, etc, will rise and with a confident developing and thriving Africa, the world in general will become a better place for all of us.

 

America: An African Boy's Perspective Part 11.

One of the things that I have enjoyed, is traveling to different places and states across America. From going to the East Coast, to a three day drive out to the West Coast. As I sat there in the passenger seat driving from Arizona border to California, I kept thinking about one man that spent most of his time traveling; apostle Paul. This man traveled more than any other disciple. And the impact he left behind was huge. I kept wondering that may be seeing the amazing creation of God inspired him and made his faith even more active to keep doing what he did! Did he see the Grand Canyon? May be! But thinking of Paul and his journeys kept me occupied all the way to our final destination and how I think it's very important for us to travel and see different things that are lettered with God's signatures.

Talking of things littered with God's signatures; seeing the leaves changing colors out in the east was magnificent for me, I had never seen anything like that before. And then seeing the Grand Canyon was even more grand for me; mind boggling. There's no way you can fail to say a prayer of thanks giving to the creator after seeing all these amazing stuff. The mountains in Colorado are so pretty and so are the beaches in California. These trips opened my eyes to see how beautiful this country really is. How diverse it is and how all encompassing it looked to me.
And each State seems to differ from the other in one way or the other. Seeing clay building in New Mexico got all of us looking at each other, because these, you can find in Uganda and even South Sudan. It was visibly the poorest of all the more than 25 States we have been to.
California is very beautiful and the weather was just perfect for me. Especially when we got told that we left Michigan just in the right time away from some big inches of snow and a blizzard. And to add on this, California is the face of America to the outside world and in most cases what is associated with it isn't good stuff, the movies; both good and bad, the drugs, the gay rights and activities, and also some controversial churches too (I have friends who seem to have eternal dislike for RickW Waren's church) and also some amazing people and amazing churches as well. It has got it all. As I thought about a proper description of California, the story of Lot and Abraham came to mind. When they had to separate because their herdsmen were always fighting. Abraham gave Lot an opportunity to choose first. And Lot, being a man of senses, looked around and chose a place that looked good, with hills and was green...in other wards, he chose the best part and left the dry areas for his uncle. Lot did not have the faith to live and subdue the place that he chose and this place ( Sodom and Gomorrah) is said to have been wicked and sinful against The Lord, but then, Lot and his household were righteous before The Lord. So, even though California is known for the bad stuff, there are some Lots there, people who are righteous and love and worship The Lord. And I got to have such divine experience in Northern California that I'll tell you in a bit.

Before I share with you my one moment of bliss in America, I would like to say something. All along, I have been observing and thinking about many things and yesterday, I went to visit my Ugandan friend who has been in the States for the last 7 years. The visit was to be able to play and catch up on familiar conversations since I have been feeling home sick recently, but our conversations took a direction that none of us expected and before long, the whole room was filled with the presence of The Lord! I was still literally shaking about an hour later in the car on our way home.
This is one remarkable difference between a majority of Christians here and Christians in Africa. Here, a majority of Christians are knowledgable with the Bible, they have read it, they own two or three versions, etc. A majority of Christians in Africa have seldom read the whole Bible, many of them don't even own them and some of them don't own one because they can't even read it. But, because of their limitations in many areas, they cry out to God for almost everything and the Lord's response has been a hunger for people to seek him and know him mor. As a result, people have had encounters with The Lord and to them, he's everything, provider, healer, comforter, protector, name it. It's only in Africa where someone will walk in front of the church and testify in tears, how The Lord miraculously provided them with food! They literally rely on him for everything and their testimonies  sound more like the obvious things, and yet to them, they are miraculous. Where as most Christians here would probably encourage you with a number of scriptures, there, it's testimonies that someone will encourage you with because that's all they know.
And this brings me to what I love doing the most; worship. I have always thought and meditated on Christ's statement when he said the father seeks those who worship him in spirit and in truth. And in most cases, as our pastor here put it on Sunday (and I couldn't agree with him more), we tend to put a performance even right in church. This happens everywhere. In true worship, it's inside out and not outside in. We cease to think about other people's opinions and views regarding the way we worship, we don't lift up our hands only when the worship leader or the pastor says so, because in moments of true worship, the world around you ceases to be and it's just you and the father. I love it every time aim transported into his presence in worship, where dignity is thrown out of the window and freedom comes in, where laughter can erupt and tears of joy that those around you will be startled to see. In true worship there are no boundaries, no limits, no time, nothing. Instead you get the hunger and the desire for more and more and more and you want to keep doing it. In some of these moments, some people weep, others may laugh, some may fall down, some may burst out speaking in strange tongues, some will worship in voices that are not theirs, and many more. Because when you are in the presence of God, you don't remain the same, the disciples saw Christ's face shining when he had that divine visitation, Isaiah says he fell down when he saw the face of The Lord, David was glad to go to the house of The Lord because he knew what happens there,and many others had different reactions because one thing is certain,when you see him, you never remain standing, never!
My favorite time of the week is always during worship in church and I must say I have enjoyed that in many churches here.
One of the places I wanted to visit while here in the States was The Bethel church in Redding, Northern California. I love their worship albums, especially the lofty sessions. And having read many great things about the place, I really wanted to be there and see it for my self. While in California, we made plans to visit the famous healing rooms. We had to drive close to 10 hours from the south and stayed in a hotel nearby. The next day we made a short trip there and I was very expectant. We listened to really anointed worship music by Beckie's friend's husband. The moment I stepped inside Bethel, I knew it. I could sense it, feel it and smell it. The presence of The Lord was so real and so tangible. I was on familiar grounds, holy grounds. The part that I really enjoyed the most was the soaking room. With live soaking music being sang by the worship team, the place was littered with people worshipping the creator in many different ways and forms. Some were lying down, others were cheerfully painting, some were dancing, others we're weeping, some appeared to be sleeping, it was just AWESOME! I swum in that holy atmosphere and I would walk in there every Saturday if it was close enough! And sometimes I think that's all we need, lay down a platform for people to come and just enjoy the presence of The Lord as much as they want and then they can go back. No sermon, just let him speak to each person the way he wants. It was beautiful there and that to me, was my moment of Bliss in America. We need more of this everywhere, places where the personal encounter with the King is made easier. I could write on and on and on about these things, but I must stop here. Thanks for your continuous reading of my posts and your feedback keeps encouraging me to write more. Next week, God willing, I am planning to write about what Africa really needs from America, a must read for anyone who has a heart for Africa and you will be surprised that it's not money. Till next week, stay better and not bitter. Bless you.