Cultural or Biblical?

My Memorial Day plans were not exciting. I was to get up and skype at 6 am with a colleague in Tanzania who was going to help me confirm the data that I am using in my grammar research paper. I had finally been able to set up this skype time four days ago and was really grateful that my colleague had agreed to the time. I was going to be able to double-check my data before turning in the rough draft tomorrow!

My Memorial Day plans did not go as I planned. That skype chat did not occur, and I don’t know if I will be able to double-check the data before the paper gets turned in.

(Maybe I shouldn’t be admitting this until after the paper has been graded…hm. Oh well, I have a lot of data from the language, I have fair confidence in my data, I just wanted a speaker of the language to give me the nod of approval – hopefully this will still happen.)

The reason I wasn’t able to verify my data today was because my colleague was double-booked, he had told me that he could skype, when in fact he is busy this entire week with a consultant check of scripture. I’m glad that he has his priorities straight and he didn’t cancel on the consultant check. But this puts me in a bind, and brings me to my thought for the day.

I felt lied to, probably because I had been lied to. He had to have known that the consultant check was going to happen when he agreed to meet with me. I was indignant until I remembered that there is a simple cultural explanation, not only that, there is also some self-examination that needs to happen.

One of the highest Tanzanian cultural values is preservation of relationships. In a society where dependence on your friends and relations is often necessary for survival, preserving those relationships is very important. My colleague wasn’t lying to me with the intent to deceive me, he was telling me that he wants to help me and wants to meet my needs by verifying my data. He was simply putting off telling me that he doesn’t have the time right now. Had he told me straight away that he was going to be busy, I might have interpreted that as meaning he isn’t even interested in helping me or even beyond that, he isn’t interested in being friends.

I don’t know for sure that this was his line of thought, but given the importance of relationship preservation, it is possible that this is what he was thinking. I could carry on being indignant that the Bible says “Thou shall not lie”, even when you are preserving cultural values…but don’t we do similar things in America?

Maybe we don’t lie (at least we can tell ourselves that), but what are some of our American values that make us take some biblical standards with a grain of salt?

Do we dress in culturally acceptable ways, but maybe not biblically minded ways?

Do we talk about people in a culturally acceptable way, but not with the love that God commands us to have for our brothers?

Do we value our independence (a very high American value) over living in community and mutually helping and building each other up by sharing our needs and struggles?

So, this is what I am thinking about today, in what ways am I living up to my cultural values and standards at the expense of biblical values and standards? 

Sleep is good, God is better

Do you want to know the thing that I have always been excellent at?

Sleeping.

Ask my mom. She’ll tell you that since the day I was born, I was better at sleeping than any of my other siblings. Over the years I have treasured the fact that I can drink coffee and be asleep 5 minutes later. I can be woken in the middle of the night due to a storm, get up shut all the windows, crawl back into bed and be asleep in a moment. I can even wake up enough to give coherent answers, fall back asleep and have no recollection that my sleep was in any way disturbed. This particular talent of mine has truly benefitted me.

Why am I talking about this?

Well, last night I couldn’t sleep. I know you really care about my sleeping patterns, in fact I bet you were just about to ask me. I thought I would save you the trouble J.

The reason that I couldn’t sleep was that the woes and cares of this world (or more particularly the woes and cares of my grammar class) inserted themselves into my sleep and I woke up stressed and overwhelmed. This has happened on very few occasions in my entire life. My sleep is not easily interrupted.

There was one marked difference between last night and other times that this has happened. Instead of focusing on these pesky woes and cares of the world that were disturbing me, I used my awakened state to focus on Jesus. Other times when this has happened I have focused on the woe that was troubling me, I’ve tried to solve it. I’ve tried to fix it. I’ve tried in my own power to make it go away. Actually, other times, I’ve even just laid there pouting and saying “why me?”

God has been training me to look only at Him despite my environment, and circumstances. This training has been going on especially over the past year and a half, and I am happy to report that I am seeing an improvement. I was engaged in a scuffle last night, and thanks to Jesus’ grace and training, even though my sleep took a hit, I think I won that battle.

So many good verses apply to this experience!

Psalm 55:22

Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

James 1:2-4

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

John 16:33

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Tanzania in Dallas

I had the opportunity to attend a Swahili speaking church yesterday! No, it is not the one pictured above, but I like that picture. It was encouraging to have proof that I can still speak and understand Swahili. I’ve been working on Hebrew while in the States, but thankfully Swahili hasn’t gone anywhere.

So many things about being in that congregation made me feel like I was back in Tanzania.

• The service did not start on time, but much closer than in Tanznia.
• In Tanzania speakers and a piano are called “vyombo” and it is very important to be able to project the voice of the church as far as you can with “vyombo”. This is one way that they advertise their location and service. Surprisingly, the loudness factor is still employed here in Dallas.
• In the course of meeting women from the congregation several gave me the “I’m so sorry for you look” when they found out that I am not married. One woman was kind enough to offer to find me a husband from her language group, who happen to be located near Musoma. This kind of thing also happens regularly in Tanzania.
• I got to stand in front of the congregation and introduce myself and tell them what I do and where I live. I have done this so many times in Tanzanian churches that I went on auto-pilot and was able to give them my tried and true intro-to-me spiel.
• There was such beautiful African fabric and outfits. Tanzanian women REALLY know how to dress.

The main difference that I noticed?

• I didn’t see a single woman openly nursing even once during the service.

I noticed on additional similarity : the manner and topic of preaching.

It was a guest preacher from Kenya that spoke, and I was reminded of how sermons in Tanzania can often be from a very legalistic viewpoint. The sermon was about how to be “perfect” in order to please God. I kept wanting to hear him mention grace and the blood of Jesus that washes away our sins and justifies us, but instead we were encouraged to be just, upright, and perfect in and of ourselves, so that God will accept us.

I have rarely heard grace taught in Tanzania. I feel more strongly than ever the need to be in relationship with Tanzanians when I return so that I can talk about grace with them. Even if they have gone to church every Sunday of their lives, they may never have come to an understanding of God’s AMAZING grace.

The classes that I am taking are gearing me up and motivating me in the work that I will do when I return. The church service yesterday has motivated me in the relationships that I will have when I return.

Praise God for preparing me!!!

Chachando

One of my favorite culinary finds in Tanzania was their hot sauce, called chachando. The first time that I had it was during language school when the Tanzanian family that I was staying with made it. I was hooked from the very first taste.

Thankfully they walked me through the preparation process (and I think I remembered it correctly). During my time in the States I have made jars upon jars of chachando, and given it away to many people. It was wonderful to be able “bring” something from Tanzania to give out to some friends and family, without having to include it in my checked luggage.

Chachando, having been canned, wait, jarred?

So, if you are interested in making this sauce, I don’t know how much help I will be. I can’t tell you the proportions, I didn’t learn to make it by measuring. I just chuck a bunch of all the ingredients together and cross my fingers. However, I have given some instructions below.

The recipe is (loosely) as follows, and especially where the garlic and ginger is concerned, there is no such thing as too much…I think.

-fresh garlic (oodles, finely chopped)

-fresh ginger (loads, finely chopped)

-oil (enough)

-onions (plenty, finely chopped)

-tomatoes (masses, you guessed it, finely chopped)

-habanero peppers (several pinches, or to taste…and once more with feeling: finely chopped)

Instructions:

• If a mortar and pestle are available, destroy the garlic and ginger together using said implements. If mortar and pestle are not available, I guess a food processor will do, but still, decimate those delicious ingredients together. (The mortar and pestle do not need to be as big as the one in the picture below).

• Heat oil a bit, and add the garlic and ginger paste to the oil – after a few minutes your house will start smelling like heaven.
• Add onions – house will increase in smelling like heaven.
• Add tomatoes.
• Add habanero with caution and temperance (unless you really like spice, in which case, go nuts).
• Cook the whole thing down until you get the consistency that you prefer. It may range from a sauce to a paste in consistency, I’ll leave that up to your conscience.

Finally: you can enjoy this delectable sauce on anything and everything that your heart desires. I typically use it to give some flavor to rice dishes, french fry omelets (another Tanzanian food that I like), meat…pretty much anything needing a swift kick.