Taking It All In

Charles Nderitu, from Kenya and Joseph Mbange, from Zambia, are Awana missionaries who recently visited the Awana International headquarters.  This was their first time to America.

"I might hurt my mouth if I try to take it all in." Joseph Mbange

During lunch the other day, Joseph was eating a double hamburger, but had removed the top portion of the bun. When asked why he’d done that, he replied, “It was so big, I was afraid that if I ate the whole thing, it would hurt my mouth and that I would not be able to take it all in!”

Our first-time visitors have taken a lot in during these past three weeks. So toward the end of their stay, they shared some of their first-time observations.

Food
There are many choices in America when it comes to food. What is served for one person here (in a restaurant) is enough for the whole family back home. That was our biggest surprise. At the restaurant, when they brought my plate, I didn’t know why they placed it in front of me because it was so big, I thought it was for all of us. So why place if before me? Then they brought more, one for everyone! I was very surprised. -Charles

When I saw this, then I start thinking of my people and my family back home “I’m having too much here when so many of my people are struggling back home and are not having any meal.” -Joseph

Buttons
So many things are automatic. When you want to clean your dishes, you just put them in a machine and push a button. When you want to wash your laundry, just put them in a machine and push a button. In America, you look at it as efficiency. In Africa, we look at it as unemployment. Someone could be doing that job, even if earning a little bit for their family.

You can’t teach the story of the apostle Peter, when the door opened miraculously (in prison), to the kids here, because they have already seen many doors open automatically! -Charles

Pets
There is a big value attached to pets here in America. You have pet cemeteries, pet doctors, and pet clinics. It is not in our culture to even keep a pet in the house. It’s out of the question. It’s shocking to see it. The only reason you would have a cat in the house is for one purpose only, and that is to catch the mice.

When I first saw a dog in a house here, it was so big, I didn’t even think it was a dog. I thought it was a bear! It was so big. In America, you use the words he or she to refer to your dog. Back home, that is not acceptable. We use the word “it”!

In a restaurant, I saw someone come in with a dog. I couldn’t believe it, and they walked right past me. I went to move my plate because I thought the dog might take it! But he didn’t. I was so surprised and I learned that the dog was a guide dog for that person who could not see. We have never seen that sort of thing in our place. That was amazing. -Joseph

Saying Good-bye
In our country, when you visit someone and you are leaving, they will take you to the bus station and make sure you have entered the vehicle; they will wave and see you off completely to see that you are gone safely! Here, they will just say “Bye-bye” from inside the house! If that happened in Africa, you would think, “I don’t want to go back there again.” But here we have learned that that is your tradition and people here are still kind and friendly. -Charles

Cars and Cash
Another thing is that people are driving cars by themselves. On the roads in Africa, in ten cars, you might find only one car with one person in it, but here, if I see 10 cars, there might be only one car with maybe even two people inside. So people seem not to love each other very much. They don’t spend time to socialize. They are just working, working, working. At our place, you have time to socialize, to have fun. Here, life is just so fast!

Here, I’ve seen only one person use hard cash to get something. People are just using plastic cards. In our part of the world, you cannot trade using just a card. We have Visa cards that are coming, but that is very difficult to get one. -Joseph

Here, you go to the supermarket, you don’t talk to anybody, you pick things, you go present the money, the machine gives you change…it’s as though you are stealing! You don’t talk to anybody! You just walk out. And there is no guard there who will search your bag! -Joseph

Houses
The way you build your houses here, you use wood, instead of blocks. That was my very first observation, and the work is of so much perfection. And you use gas to heat your house. If you do that in Africa, you are going to burn up everybody and everything! Here, people are so disciplined that you don’t have accidents (like we would). In Africa, houses made of wood would be completely unsafe using gas coming in pipes. People would break the pipes, trying to get that gas. -Charles

Church
One thing I’ve learned here is that people don’t want to be in church for the whole day (on Sunday). They come to the church with the mindset that they will be going home soon. They have allocated a very short time to be in church.

In our place, the people will come early in the morning and be willing to stay the whole day. They are not tired; they are not in a hurry to leave. You have time to talk for hours and people are happy about that. But here, people come and right away, go home and they may leave you standing, talking by yourself. So that was a little bit strange for me to see.

Time Is Valued
People here, they honor time very much. When we visited an Awana Club, at the time to start, everyone was there! At our place, not all would come at one time. You honor time; it’s a very good thing. -Charles

Heart for Missions
The culture of engaging in missions, supporting what the Lord is doing, I think that has been another disciplined aspect that I’ve seen here. . . very, very good. You know, back home, most of our churches, they are not accustomed to getting into missions and to support the work. That has been a positive aspect of the church that I have seen here. -Joseph

Long-distance Partnerships
Committing to be a partner with someone who is so far away—t hat is completely unpopular in our part of the world. People do not support someone who is not pastoring them each week.  People are struggling to support the person who is ministering to them. But here, people are willing. They have a heart to give. Even if they do not know you, they are willing to engage and be a part of what you are doing. That is a very positive thing—God is blessing you people in a very unique way because you have learned how to give. -Charles

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Joseph Mbange is from Zambia and Charles Nderitu is from Kenya. God has been doing a great work in both of these nations in growing the Awana ministry. In fact, hearing many of the stories has been hard for some of us here at Awana International to “take it all in!” But we have indeed been blessed to hear how children are growing in the knowledge and service of the Lord.

In the weeks ahead, we will be sharing more stories of our expanding ministry in Africa We will also share the challenges we, and our national colleagues, face in doing the work of the ministry.