(Photo: Tom's birthday celebration)
As we learn to live in another culture, one of the phrases that helps us get through the day is, “It’s not wrong; it’s just different.” It’s a good phrase, because so often what we see is so strange and unfamiliar, so unlike what we know, we don’t know what to make of it and it is easy to decide we don’t like it. But this statement, though helpful, is not always correct. We believe that God has created every culture to be unique, and just like an individual person, every culture has that which is beautiful about it and that which is sinful and ugly. So part of the struggle of living here is figuring out, when is something “just different” and when is something, “just plain wrong.”
One thing we have come to observe on a regular basis here is the islanders’ propensity to argue. More than a dozen times we have experienced people shouting at one another out in the streets in front of all their neighbors. Our western eyes look at this and wonder, “is this wrong or just different?” Islanders will tell you about all the grudges and fights that go on, all the gossip and disagreement, the people who won’t talk to one another, and even villages that hate one another so much that people will walk great distances to avoid passing through a neighboring town. There is a bitterness and hatred here that is clearly wrong.
Just a few days ago a shouting match began right outside our home. We looked out our door to find all of our neighbors out on the street and many of them in an uproar. One neighbor in particular, a kind and good-natured, “traditionally built” mother was in the middle of it. She was shouting and raging up and down the street flailing her arms. We didn’t know what was going on. We thought it best to stay in the house and wait for things to settle down.
It wasn’t until the next day that we felt comfortable to go and ask her about it. “What happened?” We asked Mama Nyumba. Somberly she explained to us that people had come claiming that the houses of her five children who live nearby were not legally there and that they would have to make way for the building of a very large place of prayer they were planning to build there. Mama Nyumba explained that this is the land that has been passed down for multiple generations. Her sons tried to show the papers stating their rights, but they don’t know if they will be heard. Her husband said someone else will give a lot of money and be given a stamped paper as well with rights to the land, “That’s justice here,” he said. It is hard to know who has legal rights to the land, is it simply a case of corruption and money making its own laws or long-time squatters being stripped of their homes.
It makes us uncomfortable to see people arguing in the streets. It is not our way to handle bad news. Yet as we listened to Mama Nyumba’s story we felt angry and sad. What will happen to her family? At this point, no one knows what will happen, but we doubt that Mama Nyumba has the money to fight something in the courts (or if it would even help). So we are praying for Mama Nyumba and her family and we hope you will join with us.
PRAYERS ANSWERED
Tom had a great birthday—31 years old! He got some really fun gifts including some local island music. We just finished our week of intensive language study and it went well. As part of the week we had to do presentations in the local language. Megan explained how to change a diaper and Tom talked about how you to do a traditional island picnic. It was a good learning experience. We heard from the guest speaker who returned to his own country a few days ago. He is doing much better now.
PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray for Mama Nyumba and the situation and if there is any way that we can help her. It is our prayer that God will use this ugly situation to draw people to himself and show them a new and living hope. Pray that God might use us to share His hope with Mama Nyumba and her family. We leave for our team retreat tomorrow. Pray that it would be a relaxing time of prayer, reflection and team bonding.
