Actions Speak Louder

The last week or so, I've spent a lot of time at the school, originally trying to meet with the principal about starting computer classes. It turned out a team from South Africa was at the school this week hanging out in class and doing dramas for the kids, so the administration was busy keeping them busy all week and I never got a meeting!

Instead, I just wandered until I found someone who needed help or someone with free time to talk to. I had one good conversation after another just by spending time with no agenda other than investing where I could. It felt really cool to be available and ready, and I realized how easy it is to get lost in my American plan everything out to the minute and waste no second mindset.

Africa just doesn't work that way; this culture is relationship oriented not task oriented. Yes, tasks need to be done and I need to be intentional about the way I use my time, but often what I would consider a waste of time is highly valued in a relational society. For example, when walking by a friend's house on the way to the market, NOT stopping by to greet them in order to get to the market and back quickly would be considered a waste of the opportunity to build that friendship. In my American mind, I want to finish the tasks so I can move on to more important things, but in this context the relationship IS the important thing and the task is secondary.

I hope I can hold on to this shift in the way I view time while I'm here, but it's difficult to not feel like I'm wasting my time. I want to DO things when the best thing I can DO is just BE, if that makes sense. My presence and the offer of relationship is far more valuable than well planned theological arguments and community development projects. My goal is not to argue people into the Kingdom of God and I can't possibly solve all of this communities problems, even if I had a lifetime to give. By my actions and my lifestyle, I want to display the love of Christ so powerfully that people are drawn to Him uncontrollably!