Allowed to Be

As we were traveling in the back of the truck to the village in matching outfits, the children in the back of the truck often played their drum and sang worship songs. Even when passing military check points, the singing continued. Some people along the street would dance as we went past. Even though we live here and have seen this before, I was amazed that we as a group were able to draw so much attention to ourselves.

As one drives past these villages with mud brick homes, there often is a fancy mosque. It is a striking imbalance to see how much money (often foreign) is put into religious buildings. It’s clearly a cultural value (much the same in the US) to put only the best you can afford into a house to worship God, and so I know most of the Christians would also make their churches just as 'opulent' if they had the resources. But how much these stick out is also a quick reminder that we are in a country that is 95% another religion. And yet, we’re still allowed to be here and do the work we’re doing. I cannot think of any other country in this same situation that would allow people like us to be here so freely. So we take great joy in the fact that we have this opportunity.