Embrace the Mystery

Every day in Africa seems to be filled with strange new adventures. Actually, we’re almost getting used to the strangeness of it all. Some of the oddities are cool and fun to see, like the pictures below, or like having monkeys in your back yard or stepping out your door and having people walk up to you and greet you and want to sit and talk for a while. Other oddities are a bit frustrating, like cultural norms of saying “Yes” when really you mean “No” and power randomly being cut, internet shutting down and city water that looks like it is piped in straight from the muddy Nile. But through it all, I try to remember a phrase that was taught to me by ESI before my first trip overseas many years ago, “Embrace the Mystery.” In those three words, an attitude is communicated that tries to look on the positive side of the weirdest situations. Our attitude is our choice, and we must remember we are guests here, with a mission to show Christ to the people around us. When Africans we work closely with seem to understand us, and we think we understand them, and it ends up that we are worlds apart, not to get frustrated takes the grace of God and an extra dose of the Spirit, but it IS possible. May our good God empower us to act in this way, that we may leave a fragrant aroma of Christ wherever we go. Pressing on in the journey, Eric

Fully loaded bicycle with traffic cop  

 Driving down the road near Arusha

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