“Turn to a
stranger, take his hand, maybe then you’ll understand” –Jones Street Station
Hospitality, or
philoxenia in the Greek (love to strangers), has been a common theme in my life
lately. I have never paid much attention to it in the past, but have often been
blessed by its appearance in others.
Hospitality seems to be a
prominent command appearing throughout scripture; from the qualities that one
must look for in church leadership (1 Timothy), to how people were to treat
sojourners in a foreign land, as well as helping the poor and needy. It has often included providing food,
lodging, clothing, protection and excess. We see the command in Hebrews “…do
not be forgetful to entertain strangers...” It also seems to be the pitfall of
Sodom that they “did not consider those in need”. Christ often commands us to watch out for the widows,
orphans and those in need, and those are often whom we see his heart go out
to. Ultimately we see it is all
summed up in His great command to love one another.
Over our journey
of fundraising and preparation, I have experienced and been overwhelmed by the hospitality
of people in a variety of ways. Friends,
families, and churches have come alongside us financially and in prayer. We
have received support from families taking us in while we have been traveling,
helping us move, feeding us, listening to us vent, and hearing our
concerns. Individuals have taken
time out of their schedule to give us advice and counsel and have put us in
contact with people that can enhance our ministry, taught us the language and farming
methods, even including how to milk a goat and make cheese. They have made us prayer quilts, sent
us Maasai Bibles, language tools from Kenya, and far exceeded any command to
love and show hospitality that I can comprehend. I have been overwhelmed and surrounded in Christ’s love
through them and you. Thank you.
In light of this,
hospitality has been ever present on my mind and the topic recently presented
itself to me again when I was talking with a good friend and mentor who has
worked with the Maasai for many years.
I asked what advice he may have for our ministry over the next couple
years and what important things he thought I ought to know about working
missions in Kenya. (Some background: I have recently been struggling with how
to adapt my culture to better present the gospel and work alongside the Maasai,
such as finding a cheap car vs. something that may last longer or what
appliances our house may need). He replied, that
in his mind, it is important not to live extravagantly and to live
contextually. However, within
reason, the little expense we try to save in buying or building is not helpful
if it inhibits our ministry. All
the Maasai really notice is “have and have not”. The mere fact that we have a car or a different house sets us
apart and even within their own culture there are many different economic and
social levels of Maasai people who have an array of possessions. He continued to say he did not feel
that stressing over these small details was an important part of our ministry
or that it ultimately made a large impact in the grand scheme of things.
Rather, the most important part of our ministry and the way we could be most
effective would be learning the language well and being hospitable to the
people we serve. What kind of
neighbors would we be to the Maasai?
Essentially the message was that our hospitality and our love for the
people would ultimately cover and overshadow many of the faults and mistakes we
will make in our ministry along the way.
The Maasai do not expect us to become Maasai, and often enjoy us for our
differences. Our love
defines our ministry.
This point was
later driven home again when I was emailing some missionaries in Kenya about
opportunities to work alongside others there. She wrote this in regards to her journey to assimilate in
language and culture, “…I really pushed myself to be uncomfortable and to let
go of my culture and my sense of self. Then God told me He did not expect
me to become Maasai. Christ incarnated himself, and He did it completely.
I don't need to duplicate it. I am to be who he made me. That
has really blessed me and helped my ministry. So don't make decisions
from a sense of obligation, but really look at what will give you the most long
term stability and joy.”
These things
have been a blessing in the last couple of weeks in Audrey and my apprehensions
about making choices to live a culturally contextual lifestyle with the Maasai
in Kenya. It’s not to say that we
shouldn’t live to some degree on a similar standard, but that at the same time
we are not expected to become Maasai.
In the book, “This Our Exile” the author speaks of a man who has “gone
native”, having the cornrows, garb, weapons, and shoes of the Maasai. The man asks one of his friends what
they thought of this man “going native” and he replied, “Ridiculous…do they
(these Americans trying to be Africans) forget who they are?” I am reminded of this and how no matter
how hard I try or uncomfortable I make myself I will never become Maasai. For
one, our skin tones contrast greatly and we stick out like an elephant on an
escalator. When we try to completely
assimilate, we in some ways deny our culture, which to the Maasai looks and
seems ridiculous. We should not become something we are not, and cannot
become. While we should try to be
contextually appropriate in our teaching and some ways in our living, we should
not deny who we are for this only leads to frustration and exhaustion. As we try not to westernize others, we
should not try to fully Africanize ourselves. We should embrace the culture of each, growing together in
this bicultural community, celebrating the work of Christ which transcends all
culture but is expressed through each person uniquely.
This means daily
and intentionally trying to love others and trying to be the good neighbor, as
hard as that may be in our individualistic culture. This means that I will be a part of a whole that is
different from myself, but uniquely shaped and reflecting pieces of His glory. I need to be welcoming, warm, friendly
and giving, plus I need to be a prayerful companion, a silent learner, and an
embracer. I want to help all who are in need and searching, not always by
giving them what they ask for, but by showing them love, His love, in
part. I have been greatly blessed
by others and by your hospitality, so I thank you, and thank Him for you and I hope
to pass that love on as we make every effort to abide in His love.
