Cultural Experience of Lifetime!

Have you ever experienced something so unusual that you were certain you would never be able to explain it to your loved ones? Well, that pretty much describes a recent experience that I had! I am not sure that I will be able to do this next story justice, but I certainly will try. I had the privilege of attending a week long EBC (Evangelical Bible Church) Youth Conference and Choir Competition. Close to 50 members from our local church were able to travel to Katima for this conference. For many of the choir members, this was their first trip outside of Rundu! Needless to say they were very excited! So Daryl, Sabrina and I spent the next week camping on the church property with 1,000 of our closest friends. Along with a few others, we brought a tent. While the rest either slept on the ground or stayed in cardboard structures put up by the church.

The toilet situation was quite interesting. There was an area sectioned off by plastic tarp that was for peeing and bathing. The idea was that the washing would help to rinse the away the rest. I’m not sure that this idea really worked out and the stench was pretty intense by the end of the week. Bathing was also limited to occasional rinse. Thankfully Sabrina and I were both sporting weaves, so we did not have to wash our hair. I am really glad that the Lord blessed me with the opportunity. Many of you know that I not one who often has the desire for “roughing it” in the wilderness. However, there is something empowering about knowing that if needed I can go without the comforts of home for a period of time. It also helps to increase my thankfulness and appreciation for the blessings the Lord has given me!

Food during the week was another cultural experience. At the beginning of the week, my friend Daniel invited me to watch as he slaughtered a goat for the group’s dining pleasure. I thought “of course I want to watch!” What an experience – I have never seen anything like it. Well as I rounded the corner I saw the goat standing in the back of the truck and he was pacing nervously. He began to make some anxious noises and I knew I could not watch. “I can’t do this”, I said as I ran away. When I got back to the rest of the group, I explained why I couldn’t watch and they laughed hysterically. Over the next several days we ate goat for many meals and slaughtered another in the process (I did not watch). It was actually delicious! The only down side was the decision to post the two goat heads on a stick for all the world to see. As you can imagine the smell was pretty rancid by the end of the week and a little unsettling to look at while eating.

Sabrina, Daryl and I stuck out a little more than usual as we were the first white individuals to ever participate in the choir competition. The Luchazi word for white person is chindele. Everywhere we walked we would here, “chindele, chindele”! I have a new appreciation for frustration with the paparazzi. We had people taking pictures of us all the time: while we were visiting, walking, eating, washing our faces and especially when we would perform with the choir. As a side note – participating in the EBC choir has been one of the most humbling experiences of my life. Not only are all the songs in a foreign language, but none of the songs are written down. So sweet Sabrina has worked hard to collect and write down as many songs as possible. Besides learning (and pronouncing) all the words – there is the performance aspect. Dance is an imperative part of the choir performance. If this were a shoulder shaking culture (as many of you know), I would be fine. But it's not - it is a hip shaking culture and not the hip shaking I am used to. So here I am trying to learn these dances, with what limited rhythm I have. All the while people are laughing and pointing. Needless to say I tried my best, but there were some moments of humiliation. People were so excited and would go crazy when Sabrina and I would perform! There were photos and video recordings taken inches from my face. Screaming, chanting and scarf waving along with hugs while we were performing. We even had individuals run and grab our hands only to thrust in the air as if we had won some sort of championship. We were often approached after we sang only to hear rave reviews and comments such as “I have never seen a chindele dance before”. I even had one guy who told me he liked my “stylee”. All through out the week we were asked to pose for photos with many "new friends" :)

All in all it was a great week, filled with meaningful conversation and relationship building. We were able to hear the preaching of an amazing pastor from Zambia. He boldly proclaimed the truth and addressed many important issues pertaining to this region. Pastor Moses even had a time where he invited individuals to come forward to be prayed for. We were thrilled to see many of our choir members go forward! He and his wife also met with many people individually for additional prayer and counseling. After speaking with the pastor, several choir members expressed interest in meeting to study the Bible after we get back! I had the chance of speaking with Pastor Moses and it was so encouraging! He is passionate about sharing the love of Christ and pouring into the local church. The conversation renewed my hope and reminded that God is often at work in ways that we do not see. I was able to share how the Lord had been working in Kaisosi. Pastor Moses smiled and said, “I see we are working in the same field.” It was a true blessing to meet him! Please continue to pray that I would be sensitive to God’s leading and obedient to what He has called me to do.

For another version of this priceless encounter please visit Sabrina and Daryl’s blog - Neufeldsinnamibia.blogspot.com