The Universal Church Sunday, May 23, 2010

Additional hours were clocked on the bus today as our group extended our bus riding experience by 7 hours. This was a long ride but again through the countryside and we saw many rural villages which were interesting to drive through. I was blessed by the music the driver had on. We were listening to hymns for a few hours as the ride started. It was very refreshing on a Sunday morning and it posed a good moment to reflect on scripture and recommit this trip to the Lord.
We arrived in Lusaka in the afternoon and found our backpacker’s hostel that we stayed in. The CRWRC missionary couple gave us a number to contact for a Filipino pastor in Lusaka. We ended up going to their Baptist church that evening. The couple there gave us this wonderful meal that felt more like an American Thanksgiving dinner. We were very blessed as a group because we knew that it took a lot of time and money to prepare that kind of feast for us. We were also blessed by another example of the universal church. It was wonderful to worship with people that serve the same Lord we do!
This evening I spoke with a couple of African American ladies who were with a group travelling from Malone University in Ohio. We had an excellent discussion about racism and being black vs. White. We started off talking about being white in Africa and the conversation turned to being black in America. I heard things that were very discouraging about how our culture views many of their own people. The ladies have to teach their kids not to look suspicious and to leave the store as quickly as possible with no looking around and hands always in their pockets. Additionally, they talked about black protocol. When a cop pulls someone over for “being black” as some call it (because there is no other reason that one should have been pulled over) one needs to keep hands on the steering wheel and be very polite and do everything the officer says. I was surprised that African Americans had to struggle with this and be so aware of who they are and what they look like in their own country. I was having a difficult time getting stares and looks in Africa but to struggle with that every day would be a battle tougher than I can imagine. It makes me yearn for a new heaven and a new earth where one will not be judged by their skin colour but only on the fact that they serve the one and living God.
Soli Deo Gloria