It's an amazing thing to live in a city of over 10 million people and to not be "anonymous." The fact that 1) we are Caucasian, 2) we drive all over in a truck that is clearly marked "Assemblies of God", and 3) Pat preaches all over the city, means that many people know who we are. The traffic police, street kids, street vendors....they all know our truck and it's amazing how many have heard Pat preach.
There are days when I crave anonymity........I want to BLEND. I want to pay the price for bananas that everyone else pays......not an automatically elevated price because of the color of my face or the fact that I drive a truck. I want to drive down the road and not be stopped by the police simply because they think that I will panic and pay a bribe (I don't!!).
But I have to admit....on many days I enjoy being "known." To live in a foreign land, to be just "one in over 10 million", to be far away from close friends and family can be a very lonely feeling. But to walk down the street and have people call out my name....("Madame Suzanne" or "Missionary" or "Assemblies of God") can make me feel.....at home, despite the fact that it is very far away from my home and very, very different.
It also reminds me that I am not anonymous to God and that no matter where I am, He sees me and calls my name......and he calls to the street kids, the market mamas, and the handicapped people who have to drag themselves along the ground. In a world with billions of people God sees, and calls to, each one of us.
Reaching Planting Training Serving in Central Africa
Thursday, September 3, 2009
It's an amazing thing to live in a city of over 10 million people and to not be "anonymous." The fact that 1) we are Caucasian, 2) we drive all over in a truck that is clearly marked "Assemblies of God", and 3) Pat preaches all over the city, means that many people know who we are. The traffic police, street kids, street vendors....they all know our truck and it's amazing how many have heard Pat preach.
There are days when I crave anonymity........I want to BLEND. I want to pay the price for bananas that everyone else pays......not an automatically elevated price because of the color of my face or the fact that I drive a truck. I want to drive down the road and not be stopped by the police simply because they think that I will panic and pay a bribe (I don't!!).
But I have to admit....on many days I enjoy being "known." To live in a foreign land, to be just "one in over 10 million", to be far away from close friends and family can be a very lonely feeling. But to walk down the street and have people call out my name....("Madame Suzanne" or "Missionary" or "Assemblies of God") can make me feel.....at home, despite the fact that it is very far away from my home and very, very different.
It also reminds me that I am not anonymous to God and that no matter where I am, He sees me and calls my name......and he calls to the street kids, the market mamas, and the handicapped people who have to drag themselves along the ground. In a world with billions of people God sees, and calls to, each one of us.
There are days when I crave anonymity........I want to BLEND. I want to pay the price for bananas that everyone else pays......not an automatically elevated price because of the color of my face or the fact that I drive a truck. I want to drive down the road and not be stopped by the police simply because they think that I will panic and pay a bribe (I don't!!).
But I have to admit....on many days I enjoy being "known." To live in a foreign land, to be just "one in over 10 million", to be far away from close friends and family can be a very lonely feeling. But to walk down the street and have people call out my name....("Madame Suzanne" or "Missionary" or "Assemblies of God") can make me feel.....at home, despite the fact that it is very far away from my home and very, very different.
It also reminds me that I am not anonymous to God and that no matter where I am, He sees me and calls my name......and he calls to the street kids, the market mamas, and the handicapped people who have to drag themselves along the ground. In a world with billions of people God sees, and calls to, each one of us.
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