There's a snake in my boot! (or kitchen)

Interesting night here. Michael took one of our girls out to the bathroom last night around 8:30. That’s not that interesting, but remember the toilet is outside.  It’s not long until I hear, go inside, and my husband shouting our guards names. (one of whom was not on duty and lives a mile away, not sure what that was about) Anyway, I get all kiddies safely indoors and go out to see Mike with a cutlass and a crazed look in his eye. There is a cobra in my kitchen! Ugh. Snakes bring out the neighborhood in a big way here in Bauya so everyone came to investigate. Ironically, the guard Michael called for is terrified of snakes and kept a safe distance from the kitchen saying just let me get someone.

So, Michael puts on rain boots, another man, T-boy, shows up in flip flops and refuses boots. Then in walks our neighbor Pa Cowen. He is so tough. He’s the African John Wayne if you ask me. Awesome. He is armed with an old cutlass and nothing else. He moves everyone out of the way and stomps into the kitchen. The man is 5 feet tall on a good day, he is at least 65 and he weighs in at a whopping 95 pounds, and like me, 0% body fat. (Ok, I just snorted laughing at that) He goes in guns a blazing and begins to throw pots and pans, cooking oil cans and vegetables out the door looking everywhere for the snake that could kill us all. No fear!! During this all the other men are looking around warily with flashlights wondering if the snake is coming to sneak up on them since it is clearly terrified of Pa Cowen. And for comic relief, I send Anita, a friend, up behind Mike to pinch his leg and watched him jump a mile! (good times)

After 15 minutes of looking and many theories we all decided Michael was crazy or this snake has some serious spidey skills, because he is not in my kitchen. Of course, I still made Michael stand guard for me when I needed to shower and he had to escort every woman in the house for their nighttime potty break.  Because, hey, he’s got the boots!

Turns out white people can’t kill snakes. There are a series of phrases that are spoken to us here in SL that make us cringe.  One, because we grew up in such a pc culture that mention of differences in races is way taboo in our minds and two, because there is no arguing with it. What can you say? “Mommy Rachel, you can’t understand. It is our culture.” Well, I understand perfectly, thank you very much. But because I may or may not understand doesn’t mean what you are doing is right! Also, anything starting in “We the black people…” This is going to end in “you the whites….” and a slew of generalizations. Very frustrating! I have no cred with that.

Evangelism has been on my mind lately. I’m not good at it. No, that’s not fair. I don’t do it would be more accurate. I am lazy. I am afraid I won’t be liked or use excuses like “that isn’t my spiritual gift,” etc. I’m so full of crap!! If we build an orphanage but don’t let these kids know about Jesus, how have we really helped? If we spend all of our time working to teach people here basic sanitation or provide a hospital to prolong their life but they don’t hear the word of God, what was the point? No matter where I live I have one “mission from God” and that is to show people who he is, actions, deeds, words. If you don’t get this, you don’t know Jesus! Sorry to be frank, but somebody has to tell you!

The thought of going to another country to evangelize seems so much easier than in the states. I know. I thought this way. But I don’t run into crazy jihadists who want to talk theology and debate daily like I envisioned. Instead, I run into apathetic people who believe they are “saved” thanks to where they go to church and saying they have faith. Hmmm, sounds a bit familiar. I have also had the opportunity to spend time with Americans who believe in doing good but don’t do it for the sake of Christ. Hey, I appreciate philanthropic work. It does good. But without Jesus, it loses its purpose. These people have shared their stories and they usually involve people in the states claiming to love Jesus but behaving like the world. And now they want nothing to do with him. Or they really love Jesus, but they don’t feel their role is to tell people about Christ. A preacher will come along and handle that. Gandhi once said about Christianity, “I like their Jesus, but I don’t care for their Christians.” (hope I didn’t butcher that quote) Who would?

Bringing it back around, promise. I came here feeling like I wanted to do good and that was enough. I am learning that we the whites are missing the mark greatly. (we the whites refer to Americans, not trying to be exclusive, see my pc is showing!) I can’t argue with cultural lifestyles that are thousands of years old, I can’t change everyone’s mind set, but I better be doing my dang best to show them Jesus and how he rolls.

I have to be accountable in the end for what I did with my time here and I may find myself in line with someone I should have told about Jesus. Break: yes, living your witness is a way to show your faith and an obvious. But it is way too often used as a crutch to not tell people. Face it; you want everyone to like you just like I do. (hehe) And what is crazy, I spent a few hours with a girl Sunday and made myself share my faith. I had to say in my head, ok here we go. She had no great conversion (she was American by the way) she may not even have been listening. But she called me this weekJ And I left her and 1, thanked Jesus and fell in love all over again. And 2, felt a burden for the lost that I have been missing. Are you missing it? I can’t save anyone; I can just let people know where to find it.

If you aren’t actively trying to bring people into relationship with Jesus in the US, don’t plan a mission trip where you know you will tell people. If you are “called” to live where you are then you are “called” to tell people about Jesus where you are. Location isn’t going to change that.  1 Peter 2:9  “But you are God’s chosen and special people. You are a group of royal priests and a holy nation. God has brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Now you must tell all the wonderful things he has done.”  Tell me my job is not to tell people about Jesus. Think you can’t argue with it’s our culture, try it’s what Jesus said!

So, we are still on snake watch or we are having therapy for Mike, not sure which. And we are trying our hand at evangelism. Because no matter our time spent here, we want to walk away knowing we will be joined by an adopted family one day.