Romans 1.9-12: “God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” (NIV)
This year I turned 40. And for reasons not entirely known to me, as I get older, I get less and less excited about travel. Perhaps one reason is that I like living in our community in the Kenyan highlands. We have good friends and neighbors, we enjoy our work, and we have the best weather on the planet. I like my daily routines, sleep well in my own bed, and always know where to get coffee. Furthermore, I am a poor swimmer and don’t particularly like hot weather, so even Kenya’s beautiful white-sand beaches don’t appeal much to me. And then there are the bourgeois issues of sitting for long periods of time, making sure you have the right documents, and crossing borders.
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| Wading in the Indian Ocean |
But even I recognize that some travel is good and important and worthwhile. And that was the case with a recent trip to Tanzania to visit some dear friends and team members. It was an opportune time for our family. I was between terms for teaching at the theological school, Dominic could take a break from homeschool, and Kim had good doctors who could cover the clinic.
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We all enjoyed the break from school!
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In 2024, John and Kate and their family (from the US) came to live and work in our medical community for six months. John, the father and husband, is a family practice doctor. And his wife, Kate, is a Physician’s Assistant, who during this season of life, stays home with their three lovely kids. They quickly jumped into life and culture in Africa and became a blessing to our mission community and the broader Kapsowar community. When their six months were up and it was time to return to the US, they expressed interest in returning to Kapsowar for a longer period. And not long before they decided to return with our mission organization, Serge, making them our new teammates! They had much to do over the next year, selling their home, raise support from friends, family and churches and attend missionary training school (yes, this is a real thing), not to mention wrapping up life in the US and saying goodbye to friends. In addition, the Serge organization recommended that they do three months of Swahili training in Tanzania before moving to Kapsowar.
Over the course of all this preparation, we have kept up with John and Kate over email, WhatsApp and Zoom. And while I am thankful for these technological developments that connect us to our loved ones over great distances, there really is no substitute for a real hug, conversation, face to face, or sharing a meal (even if it is a Tanzanian Pizza Hut!). One might even use the Christian theological term, “incarnation” (“in the flesh”) to describe this deep “with-ness” that is at the core of Christian friendship and community.
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Dar es Salaam has an endless variety of decals for their tuk tuks
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While the Apostle Paul loved communicating by letter and would have marveled at Zoom, I think he would have agreed that there is no substitute for truly sharing life together. In spite of having to do the journey by foot and struggling with health problems, the continued threat of bandits and persecution, he seemed to love to connect with his brothers and sisters in Christ. And in our thoroughly “connected” world, so many still long for true, deep “connection.” Our technology can tempt us to forget the divine gift and blessing of true and deep human connection--especially when the Holy Spirit which connects us across great distances brings us together again after time apart.
Paul concludes his letter to Philemon this way:
“One more thing—please prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that God will answer your prayers and let me return to you soon.” (NLT)
Perhaps take some advice from me, a very reluctant traveler, and the Apostle Paul. Make plans today to go and visit family or friends. It will be worth your while.
~Kristopher
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| Precious time with new teammates! |
