Tuesday, May 09, 2006


Please don't send me to Africa, I just don't have what it Takes!
Current mood: happy

Africa is wonderful! I admit that for the first couple of days, I was fairly uncomfortable in such a new place, and nervous about being stuck here for an entire month! Yet now, I am so excited for my time here, and want to soak up everything I can. I have written 30 pages in my journal so far, and I will be happy to share it with anyone when I return! I am also slowly learning Twi, the language here. I came with the impression that they all speak mostly English, and Twi was just the old language. This is not the case! Twi is the conversational language, and though people often know english, they use it only for more fomal uses. But I am trying to catch on, and everybody is very excited when I speak the few words I know.

I am not going to write here about my day-to-day experiences, but instead about the more theological and philosophical thoughts I am developing.

First, I am thinking that the craziness of my experience would be fantastic material for a book. A thouroughly American girl, knowing nothing about cultural adaptation, jumps headlong into daily life in a third world country. Oh i did not know what I was getting myself into! But I am very very glad I am crazy enough to do this.

Second, of course my thoughts are heading in the direction of ministry. Even though I expected the amazing spiritual life of the Ghanaians and their worship services, it is still blowing me away. Here is what I have learned and want to take back with me: God is only as free to move among his people as they are free to worship him. When we hold back our praises our of propriety or fear, we are also holding back God. Dancing is central to worship here. (Willy, everybody is asking about you and wants to know if I can dance as well as you...I am trying!) Tina, my African mom, was telling me about how she learned to dance in worship. She said that to her, the scripture which says, "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord," means that her legs, hands, heart, mind, and voice are commanded to praise the Lord. They worship with every portion of their being, and because of this, God is manifested in every part of their being, as the other scripture says, "the Lord inhabits the praises of his people!". The more we praise with our entire selves, the more of us God can inhabit. I think there is a spirit of intimidation and fear in the culture of many American churches, so that while the worship is authentic and real, it is not entire because for years we were taught not to dance, not to drum, etc. I wish for this to be broken down, and i think it needs to come with a persistence in example. If a few people whill abandon themselves fully to entire-being worship, and do this every time they worship, it might catch on. I'll try it when I get home and see what happens. I also need to continue to sort through how this translates into American culture, and even more into postmodern culture. I think it is doable.

Thank you for your prayers, and please continue to pray for me!

God bless!

PS. Arwyn- Your water reminding position has been effectively usurped by my little Ghanaian sisters...they are always making sure that I have my water and am drinking it! I think i am even drinking too much because I have to go at least every two hours!

Mary’s email is: mary@inseattle.com

Mary’s blog is at: http://www.myspace.com/beanbagbaby