How do I explain some things to Pastor Hirbo? Pastor Hirbo lives in a world where people are hungry and suffering living in huts made from mud and straw He personally knows so many orphaned children who just want to go to school but can’t because they lack school fees and money for school uniforms. Pastor Hirbo feels these burdens – they never leave his heart.
When Americans travel to Kenya most come back changed. I now know that having Kenyans here changes us. Seeing my life thru the eyes of Pastor Hirbo is leaving me without explanations that sound reasonable even to me. How do I explain:
*That I put my dishes in a dishwasher instead of washing them by hand
*My use of water (yes I am guilty of leaving the water running just to get hot water)
*The food we picked up from Panera’s Friday night that would have been thrown out if not picked up by a ministry such as ours – Pastor Hirbo was amazed at how much food is left over every night at each Panera all over the country.
*The children’s playhouse we built for the children when they were young. When Pastor Hirbo walked in my backyard and saw the house he came to me and told me he had seen my old house. When I explained it was a playhouse he asked me if someone lived in it.
*And, it is hard to explain to a preacher from Africa that today when he preaches as a guest preacher in an America church he has 15 minutes to preach. In Africa a preacher preaches for at least an hour and most of the time longer. When we told Pastor Hirbo last night he had 15 to preach he was truly amazed.
Pastor Hirbo doesn’t make any of his observations in a judging way or in a way to make me or anyone feel guilty. It is just his observations from someone who lives in a world so different from the world we live in. I watch Pastor Hirbo sometimes when he sees a table full of food and I know he is thinking of his family and of the many orphans and people that he knows and loves. It is hard for him to sit and feast at a banquet of food while those he loves goes hungry.
All of this reminds me of the quote I once read “Live simply so others can simply live”.
Connie
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