
Relaxing, thinking by the fire in Ruhengeri, Rwanda.
What did I learn living in East Africa?
Well, overall, I learned that living overseas changes you in ways that are not immediately clear but become apparent as time passes and you re-enter your home country. I’m still in the process of this.
But, here are a few things that come to mind now… I learned…
Nairobi is a long way from home and it feels like it.
I can make friends and build a life anywhere in the world – especially with the help of a local church and Christian friends.
I love East Africa and in some ways it feels more like home than the US.
When the sun comes up early, I prefer early to bed, early to rise.
I love animals and the outdoors even more than I thought and I’m a secret conservationist!
When working in a cross-cultural setting you must have patience and humility.
Honesty and integrity are not valued by all cultures even though I believe they should be.
My values and beliefs are well established and not everyone thinks the way I do (Okay, maybe I already knew this).
I can be wrong many times and need to admit my mistakes, but sometimes I am right and I need to be bold enough to stand by my convictions and conscience and not doubt myself.
There is a line between my own mistakes and someone else’s and I need to learn to tell the difference.
I love driving on the wrong side of the road and, deep down, I am a non-conformist!
Doing meaningful work that impacts lives brings me more joy than I ever imagined.
About God – I learned that He cares deeply and intimately for me. I learned that He grows my faith apart from my works. He is good. He is love. He is all sufficient, sovereign, omniscient, all-mighty, omnipresent.
I am pretty sure East Africa learnt a few lessons from you too. Great to see you achieved so much.
Loved this! So much of this resonated with my experiences of living crossculturally. I’ve been back almost two years and I’m still unpacking it all. Thanks for sharing. This really did speak to my soul.
Grace and peace,
Jessica Avery National Recruiter
Asbury Theological Seminary 204 N. Lexington Ave Wilmore, KY 40390 859.858.2044
That’s a good reflection and the discovery of who God is in all your do is amazing…