HALF WAY IN / HALF WAY OUT

HALF WAY IN / HALF WAY OUT – SATURDAY 7/19/08

I’m now at base camp, back from our third outreach. The children continue to cry and the roosters haven’t missed a beat with their early morning crows. From sunrise to sunset, the constant sounds of activity both distant and near continue to fill the atmosphere. I can’t help but to think how much this must be just like project housing in low-low income living situations all around the cities of out own country. It’s base camp living and it’s where the missionaries and the local (adopted) children and families live when they’re not on an outreach.

Now, after two weeks in, I’m just beginning to find my stride. Things that completely put me off when I first arrived here, such as living with all of the dirt everywhere… ALL of the time and having to put my used toilet tissue in a separate can from the toilet bowl after each use are now just a way of life. My intense concerns about getting sick from Malaria or shot with an arrow are now pretty much nonexistent (although it could happen) and where there was once a time when I though “What the hell am I doing here!” I can now see why people come back here to live permanently. THIS IS AFRICA! And if you never lived anywhere (as is the case with most Africans) it just really wouldn’t be all that odd to you. As a matter of fact, during a conversation with one of the local boys, Dilo, after sharing a bit of information with him about life in America, he looked at me with a questioning concern and said something to the effect of, “Americans seem to have so much junk.” Meaning stuff, things, and the un-necessaries of life that we’ve been convinced we really NEED…just to live.

In my brief encounters with African living, my eyes have been opened up to just how controlled our living can be in the states, Business develop new products that advertising agencies elaborate upon (literally, emotionally and visually) convincing us that our lives won’t be as good unless we have them. Then we spend most all of out time achieving, accomplishing and working so that we can have enough money to buy these new products so that we can live more comfortably… all the while with the hardcore possibility that we could be missing the REAL DEEP essential meaning of our own very existence.

How are we feeling? Are we comfortable? Do we need some more time off? Is it time to replace that perfectly good ‘thing’ for a newer one because we just WANT to and it will make us FEEL BETTER? Maybe we should stop for a moment and have that third cup of four-dollar coffee at Starbucks (the ultimate ‘feel-good’ food of the moment). I mean after all…I really need the boost. Hey, I’m not preaching here, I’m just as subjected to all of this as the next guy…after all I AM and American too! But it’s good to have a reality check-up every so often…and an African missions trip to one of the poorest places on earth can certainly do that for you, And, if you aren’t able to get your mind around that one to come here yourself, well…I’m hoping to be of a bit of assistance for you.

Here’s the ultimate clincher of all of this…ready? In my observation, the people over here seem to be so much happier and so much more joyful that most of the people I interact with and are surrounded by in America! These people are genially joyful and even more ironic…very content! Sure we have happy moments as we go about our lives in the states but how many of us can really say that we are truly joyful and content with who we are and what we have? If so, why are we spending so much time striving to get somewhere, be somebody, have so much??? I mean if we truly are content, isn’t just the mere act of ‘being’ good enough?
Just checking.

Now I know what you might be thinking…Great, Clay goes off to Africa on a mission’s trip for a month and now he’s some kind of freedom fighter for humble living. Well, how do I respond to that? Not really. These are just my observations and opinions. After all, everything’s relevant anyway right? But a good reality check from time to time might not be a bad idea.