lots happening

so there is a lot of stuff happening. i do not have time to go through my adventures in narrative form, so i will just leave you with my random musings

this is what i wrote in my journal during the pastor's training yesterday.

"day 7: I need to start engaging. it is almost 1/2 way over. i am in the pastor's training with mike right now. it is like an adult sunday school with a children's class reluctance to answer. there is not a lot of prideful talk here. i don't know if this is because a muzungu is teaching or if this is just the cultural disposition. once we started talking about money, they became much more talkative. money really is a big deak here. it is (almost?) as big a deal here as it is back home. nothing is new under the sun. africa is the same as america. money is god everywhere. the longer i am here, the more i realize that the differences do not overshadow similarities. there are real cultrual and worldview differences, but under all that there are real humans with universal human problems.

"there are no real hereos in the kingdom. Jesus is the only hero" --mike
missions is not about being a great builder in the kingdom. you HAVE to have humility.

"the greatest are the biggest repenters" --mike
Christ uses the failures of the world to build his kingdom. this country is a failure according to worldly standards and God can move powerfully here. God can't use us till we realize how much of a failure we are. till we acknowledge it is only Christ working within us. Matt 16. get behind me satan. we are of worldly ways and are dominated by powerful systems of the devil. luke 22, peter denies Jesus before he can be the foundation of the church. the church is built of failures and the leaders should be the biggest failures of all. this is what produces the humility."

today we went to a youth fellowship (youth group. any kind of meeting of any kind having to do with the church is called a fellowship here) and it was very interesting. i helped serve coleslaw like stuff after they talked. janessa helped serve chapattis (yummy things that are like fried tortias. they eat them here all the time). and i didn't realize this till after it was all over, but apparently i was being rather flirtatious. i sat down to eat in a mixed group but them i ended up just talking to these two girls. they were cool and in high school (sorta. they have a completely different systems of grades. it is kinda complicated and i still don't get it all the way) but apparently i was seen as being overly friendly. at the end of it, a girl came up and introduced me to the pastor's daughter. and it was awkward. people offer marriage a lot to the girls. and apparently the guys are in high demand. g2g. sorry guys. for a poly chronic culture i am always rushed on the comp