Truck bed.
In america, missionary means poor. In Tanzania, it means rich. It is an identity struggle all missionaries deal with.
We prayed recently for our truck to be an asset to our neighbors and friends. Since then, we have had the opportunity to:
-Haul a few trips of sand from our house (aka sandpit) to a house site being built by one of our old neighbors on a rocky hillside.
-Haul gravel back from this friend's house to ours (men, women, and children hammer away at rocks all day to make gravel).
-Carry five bicycles and their owners home from a leaders meeting (jason did the driving)
-Help a family kicked out of their house by a greedy landlord by moving all their stuff. Including 20 ducks in the backseat.
-note: never move ducks inside your truck. When the truck starts moving, the ducks go crazy, and expel all bodily fluids in some sort of survival mechanism.
-Drive various friends and their families to the hospital. We can get our truck places taxicabs don't go.
It is encouraging, because much of your time spent as a missionary is seemingly unproductive (though sometimes it is productive relationally), and our assets (a car, accessibility to health care, a secure home) often separate us from others. It is nice to see our assets place us in closer community with others.
In america, missionary means poor. In Tanzania, it means rich. It is an identity struggle all missionaries deal with.
We prayed recently for our truck to be an asset to our neighbors and friends. Since then, we have had the opportunity to:
-Haul a few trips of sand from our house (aka sandpit) to a house site being built by one of our old neighbors on a rocky hillside.
-Haul gravel back from this friend's house to ours (men, women, and children hammer away at rocks all day to make gravel).
-Carry five bicycles and their owners home from a leaders meeting (jason did the driving)
-Help a family kicked out of their house by a greedy landlord by moving all their stuff. Including 20 ducks in the backseat.
-note: never move ducks inside your truck. When the truck starts moving, the ducks go crazy, and expel all bodily fluids in some sort of survival mechanism.
-Drive various friends and their families to the hospital. We can get our truck places taxicabs don't go.
It is encouraging, because much of your time spent as a missionary is seemingly unproductive (though sometimes it is productive relationally), and our assets (a car, accessibility to health care, a secure home) often separate us from others. It is nice to see our assets place us in closer community with others.
posted by Kevin at 11:56 AM
1 Comments:
Kevin, it was GREAT to be able to spend a little time with you in Tanzania a few weeks ago. Please continue to stay in touch! You and your family and co-workers are in our prayers. Thanks again for your WONDERFUL hospitality!
In HIM,
DU
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