It was one thing for us expatriates to
sit around a table with other ex-pats and learn about respecting and valuing the
culture new to us—and
it was altogether another thing to live it out.
And
so it was that one Sunday during our orientation course, Shel Arensen, a missionary with AIM (Africa Inland Mission), invited us to go to church with
him and the Dorobo people. (You remember Shel—recently I told you about his
novel, The Dust of Africa. I heartily recommend it!)
A few
of us piled into Shel’s sturdy four-wheel-drive and we set out. Eventually the
tarmac wore out, leaving just a lumpy, dusty track, but hakuna matata—no worries—Shel
grew up in Africa. He patiently maneuvered the vehicle with ease—over, around,
and through.
Eventually
he pulled to a halt near the remote Dorobo village and we climbed out, a little
nervous, wondering what awaited us.
A
dozen people hurried down the hill to greet us with handshakes and broad grins.
Shy
children looked up at us and then turned toward each other and giggled.
The
adults spoke back and forth with Shel. We didn’t understand their language, but
their smiles sent the message that they were pleased we had come.
Our
new Dorobo friends led us up a dirt path toward their church. Along the way, children
grabbed our hands and when they did, I heard the echo of our orientation
director’s brief comment before we left camp. Brian had mentioned that some among
the Dorobo have a reputation for poor personal hygiene.
Now,
I’m a germ freak so when the children grabbed my hands, I wanted to pull away. At
that moment, respecting and valuing the Dorobo culture
seemed impossible.
But
something—probably God—stopped me. Instead, with mixed emotions, I silently
prayed the prayer my sister-in-law, Nancy, taught me, Oh, God, please cause my
immune system to work well.
Shel
told us the Dorobo Christians built their place of worship with pride and
excitement and he led us inside it, a dim room about ten feet square, constructed
of sticks and mud, with a dirt floor.
Under
the corrugated tin roof, they had strung wires from corner to corner and had
hung things on them—dried flowers, ferns, moss, squares of colored toilet
tissue, and lined notebook paper on which someone had practiced penmanship.
On
the walls, they had tacked pages out of European and American magazines—ads for
coffee, pantyhose, and nail polish.
They’d
built hand-hewn benches around the walls and when our group joined them, we
packed that little room.
The
Dorobo worshiped God with their songs, sometimes in Swahili, sometimes in Maa.
They listened to Shel’s Bible stories and studied his pictures. He talked with
them at length to be sure they understood the lessons and knew how to apply
them to their lives.
Looking
back on it now, I never imagined I’d visit a rural village or worship in a
church like the Dorobo church, but I’m so glad I did.
On
our drive back to our orientation campsite,
it
occurred to me that despite the remote setting
and
my germophobic tendencies,
the
Dorobo people blessed us.
They
welcomed us and invited us to worship God with them.
Nothing
could be finer than that.
Cross-cultural living can have its
“moments,”
but it can also lead us to discover joy,
beauty,
and a richness we would miss otherwise.
Maybe
the stuff on those children’s hands was angel dust.
