NORMAL? WHAT IS NORMAL?

As I sit here I can hear the cries of a baby and the laughter of children playing.  I can hear the mumblings of the men and women as they start their day of daily chores.  If I didn't know the difference, I could be sitting in the mall at home or standing on the porch at our apartment.  There is one big difference that I have noticed however.  Since we have been here, we have not seen or heard an angry person.  Even though they speak a different language, you would be able to hear in the tone of their voice or see in their actions if they were angry. 

We rode the city bus into town yesterday.  As the people would step onto the bus, they would greet one another with a handshake & smile.   Drivers are racing to their next destination, weaving in and around vehicles, honking their horns, and not once have we seen evidence of "road rage". 

In the market place, lined with hundreds of vendors, small isles to walk through, you touch shoulders with people and you might stumble because you've stepped on the toes of someone walking by, but the people just smile & mumble something and keep walking.  They don't do this because we are white, they do this because it is their nature!

Moses & Eddie are working on a project that requires the assistance of an attorney.   We are accustomed to attorney's office being in special buildings, beautifully decorated.  The building that we are walking into, in America, would be considered "the slums".  We walked up a stairwell that had chipped paint and rails that were not sturdy as we held to them.  The attorney's office had a tiny little reception room, with what looked like seats from an airplane against the wall for us to sit on.  A receptionist summons for us to come into the attorney's office barely big enough for the three of us to sit.  Behind a desk sat a man sitting wearing a white shirt reaching his hand to greet us.  The windows were opened, no screens, no air conditioning.  When he needed to make a phone call, his receptionist opened the door and handed him a cell phone. 

As we walked down the streets, we passed the dress shops, electronic shops, motorcycle shops, drug stores, all with their merchandise stacked in piles, or hanging on the walls.  It looks like our "side walk sales" or in some places, a huge yard sale. 

As we passed by homes, you might see people sitting on the ground braiding hair, cooking chips or selling bananas. Occasionally you might see a man or child taking a "short call".   The doors of most of the homes are simply covered with a piece of material.  There are no bars on the windows, no deadbolt locks.  Parents aren't afraid to let their children run around and play unattended. 

As we passed by Lake Victoria we saw people enjoying a swim.  You might see someone naked running from the water.  There is no "Polisi" waiting to arrest them for indecent exposure.

On the bus, sitting in church, or on the sidewalk in town, you might see a woman breast feeding her child.  You may even see this when they are standing talking to you!  This has happened to us, and if you're not used to it or expecting it, it can be quite the shocker.

I am telling you all this to say that "THIS is normal" for most parts of the world.  We live in a country that is NOT normal compared to most countries. We were thinking about bringing Maomi & Esther to the States for a visit when they graduate from school.  We told them this yesterday, but added that we hesitate to do this because we wouldn't want to corrupt them in anyway.  Esther was quick to tell us, as she pats her chest, that she has the Word of God strongly embedded in her heart, and this would never happen. 

It saddens my heart when I think about going back home to the sad faces of the people, the complaining that we will hear because they do not have enough money, the teenagers cursing their parents, married couples fighting, or neighbors complaining that the person next door is making too much noise.   What can I do to help OUR people grasp the concept that happiness & contentment is not found in what we DO NOT have?   We are among people that are CONTENT, just as the Bible says we should be:

" Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be CONTENT with your wages"

Luke 3:14 

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be CONTENT with such things as you have; for He hath said, I will never leave you nor forsake you" 

Hebrews 13:5

"Not that I speak in respect of want; for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be CONTENT" 

Philippians 4:11

"But Godliness with CONTENTMENT is great gain" 

I Timothy 6



I can assure you that the next time our air conditioner goes off, or we are without hot water, or our bank account is left without a dollar, or someone cuts in front of me while I'm driving on the highway, or the grocery store doesn't have the item I'm shopping for, I will quickly reflect back to what the Word of God says about my circumstance - be content, my child, I will not forsake you.  We must find a balance in our lives.  We must live our lives as God expects us to, with contentment!