Perhaps today I will give you a sort of a mental picture of what going out into the mission field is like, here in Africa. Well, for starters, it means going into the rural villages. The REALLY rural villages. You pack your things according to where you are going. For me, I try to pack as light as possible, because you never know if you’re going to be packing it for a bit, or riding on the back of a motorcycle to get where you are going. (the motorcycle is no fun; imagine two on a dirt bike with all your gear strapped to a rack on the back) So, when I pack, I bring a few changes of clothes, a book or two, including my bible and journal. I bring all the basic toiletries, except in smaller varieties. (small toothbrush, small toothpaste, and maybe soap) The trick is not bringing the things that will be supplied. Soap is usually supplied. I also bring my water purifying drops (these are a necessity) and I make sure that I have toilet paper (you have to use a squat toilet/hole in the ground and t.p. is not provided) so, it’s byotp. Bring your own t.p. also, I bring a rain coat and some other necessities. After I have packed all my things into my hiking pack, I usually have to wait for transport. This can take a while. Sometimes I’ll be told that we are leaving early, just to find out that we don’t leave until two in the afternoon. Or I’m told that we are leaving, and then we don’t leave for another few days! (time in Africa is a bit different) So, we go into the mountains. I’m either riding on the back of a motorbike, or riding in a 4-wheel drive vehicle. Once I arrive at the rural village, (travelling can take from 30 minutes to 6 hours.) I meet the person I’m staying with, and the person who brought me will leave. Then, I get a tour of the village. This can take either a few minutes or many hours (depending on how many houses I get dragged into for tea and fellowship.) It’s interesting though, no matter how long it takes, you always see the important places. You see the church, and other key places. When you walk through the village, the first thing you will notice are the children. They are everywhere, and as you walk, they follow after you shouting “Muzungu!”(white) It becomes a sort of parade. It’s awkward, and it’s embarrassing for me. The children follow after and act very strange. They want to touch you and greet you and talk to you. the second thing you notice is that everyone will greet you and wish you well. As you walk they will shake your hand and greet you. When you go into homes you can bet that you will be fed and watered. People here delight in feeding their guests, especially if their guest is a muzungu. You see, it’s not like America, people in Uganda don’t often see a white person, so it’s a bit of a surprise, and they want to welcome such a visitor. So, you get hot milk tea, and you also get food. It will either be biscuits (cookies) or a full out meal. If it within a few hours of meal time, it will be a meal. The meal will be the best food they have to offer, usually chicken and rice. And perhaps chibate (chai ba tea)(*African flat bread)(Yum!) and eggs as well. That’s if you’re really lucky. And when they feed you chicken, they feed you the best part. And for them the best part is the gizzard. So, you get to eat the gizzard. Also, when they feed you, they want you to eat a lot! Especially when they think you are hungry. So, they will continue to feed you and give you large portions. They feel special if you eat all the food, but if you leave some on your plate, they feel like you either didn’t like the food, or you were sick and they worry. So you eat a lot. You have to learn, as a missionary, how to say no to some food, or else you will constantly be fed until the point of nausea. One day I was fellowshipping, when I first came, and I had four bottles of coke in only an hour, then I hiked for two hours. So, then you go to the church and you will preach and perhaps you’ll preach for an hour. After that they will continue for a while. A church service lasts for around 4-5 hours! Then, when your time is up, you will be asked to stay, begged not to leave, and inevitably they will offer to give you a plot of land and help you build a house. Every place I’ve been, since I’ve been here, I’ve had an offer to get a piece of property and even some cattle! Ha. It’s great. They really love missionaries here. So, then you leave, and start all over again next week.

Now, I want to share a few quotes.

“when he was preaching, a verse came into my head. ‘can anything good come from Nazareth’ and then I thought to myself, can anything good come from America? (then he went on to give me a compliment)”

“So, what is your name? me: ‘luke ryggs’, him: ah, luke ryggs, Luke, that is good, you see, when I have my first male child I will name him luke ryggs” (this was after talking to a guy for fifteen minutes)

“in Africa, children will not learn without using the stick”

“Michigan… Hmm, is that country in north America or South America?”

And I’ll leave you with a question. It might hurt, but sometimes when we get offended, we do something about it! Think about the question and ask yourself, I know it’s a question I’ve been asking myself.

Can I have a closet full of clothes and twenty pairs of shoes after I have seen children with only the clothes on their backs, and those falling apart in rags, and no shoes? Is it fair? And why? What causes this to happen?

There is a book called 1984, written by George Orwell, it’s one of my favorites. One of the slogans in the book is “Ignorance is strength.” You know, ignorance is strength. When we don’t know about a certain problem, or something that is happening in the world, we are free to act in any way we want. But once we know, we are forced to make a choice. We can continue doing thing that keep people in poverty, or we can change the cycle. WE can choose to keep buying shoes for ourselves when we have no need, or we can buy a pair of shoes for a child in Africa, or Europe, or Asia. I want to challenge you to not live ignorantly, but to have a knowledge of what you are doing with your money. What are you supporting with your purchases? And I could go on.

Praise God.