There are still a number of things that remain a mystery to me about Tanzanian parenting. For example, I see students on their way to class with a child on their back – what on earth do they do with the baby/toddler during lectures? During our intercultural training, we were […]
Tolerate ambiguity. Reserve judgement. It’s not wrong, it’s just different. These are the phrases we repeat over and over to ourselves as we navigate culture adjustment. We’re working hard to ask questions rather than pronounce on things. Our default is to assume that things aren’t the way they seem to […]
As we think about going to Tanzania, one of of our big prayer points is for humility. There’s an arrogance that comes with being western and theologically educated that is counter-productive to learning from Tanzanians. I’ve been learning that already as we meet different people doing church visits. At supper […]
So, equality is a good thing, desired by God, but it’s not about everyone having the same so much as everyone having enough. It can’t involve condescension on the part of the giver and must involve empowerment of the receiver. What does that look like in practice?
In my world, anyway, it’s easier to give than to receive. Do other ministry people feel this way? We spend so much of our lives extending the hand of friendship; proffering hospitality; sitting down listening to others; advocating on their behalf. And I don’t consider that an imposition – it’s […]
As preparation for St Andrew’s Hall, where we will spend five months preparing with CMS for our move to Tanzania, I’m reading Duane Elmer’s Cross Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility. It’s a challenging read, not because it’s stuff I don’t know but because there are so many […]
One of the great things about doing a ministry traineeship for two years before coming to college as I did is that the ‘real’ experience of full-time ministry provides you with plenty of questions! One of my questions that I’ve raised before (here and here) is how to deal with […]
