Upon Arriving in Africa

Longing

 

There has been a lot of anticipation on my part for this trip to Africa. I am so grateful to Alan Gates, our rector, and to the vestry and parish, for asking me if I would be interested in making this trip with Meredith Bowen to Tanzania, and then to meet up with Rich and Mary Nodar in South Africa. So many people at St. Paul’s have been asking me in the months leading up to this week if I was excited, and wanting to know about the trip. But frankly, I have been so busy planning and also leading 6 weeks and 100 people on mission trips to Harlan County, KY, I wasn’t as present to the leading up to this trip to Africa as I might have otherwise been.

However, I have been giving several unexpected gifts in preparing for this Summer. I keep using this word “trip” in describing my time in Harlan, and now Africa. I am going to stop doing that. Last Spring, we brought Rob Burlington to speak with those involved in Youth Ministry at St. Paul’s. Rob is the Youth Minister at All Saint’s, Atlanta and I admire his work and ministry there. Rob taught us about the experience of pilgrimage, and explored with us what it means for people of faith. In our time with him, I realized that in fact, our “trips” to Harlan, KY are as much a spiritual pilgrimage for us who go, as much as it is a mission trip to build homes for the needy and to come to know and love the people of Appalachia. Let there be now doubt, we do go to serve others as an imperative of our faith, but know I am seeing us as pilgrams, who go to offer ourselves AND to be open to receive what is offered to us from the people and the mountains, by the unearned grace of God.

That insight, and Rob’s encouragement, led me to frame this time in Africa as a pilgrimage for me as well. He introduced us to a book, The Art of Pilgramage by Phil Cousineau. It really is a wonderful book, and I would encourage everyone to read it regardless of how much a pilgram you may think you may or may not be. Even a walk around the block in the morning can be a pilgrimage for you! Phil Couseneau writes that all is required to be a pilgrim is a longing ( a “Holy Longing” is what he says Goethe called it) to be caught up in a deeper quest for meaning.

Cousineau writes that a pilgrim pays attention to the details of the ordinary, because beauty is a by-product of ordinary things. He writes, “We can only discover the real thing though deep observation, by the slow accretion of details.”

So, on my pilgrimage to meet my longing for deeper meaning, one of my Spiritual Disciplines will be to pay attention, be present, to the people, the sounds, the details of ordinary life and maybe I will get the slightest glimpse of the real. Pilgrims are often giving gifts for their journey, and many of those who went to Harlan this Summer filled my bag (and my heart) with gifts for my pilgrimage. One was a book of quotes and inspirations from Archbishop Desmond Tutu. She wrote an inscription on the inside, rightly reminding me to “be present to as much as possible in Africa”, holding me accountable to the same expectations I have for those who go to Harlan.

So, what have I noticed already that has touched my soul?

-On the LONG plane ride from Detroit to Amsterdam, I had the honor of sitting next to a young Bulgarian violinist. She came to the U.S. at age 13, but goes back every year to see family. She was reading from a small book the whole time, I asked her what it was. She explained that it was her Prayer Book, written in Slavic, and that she was doing her best at reading the Psalms. She wasn’t proficient enough to read all the words, but she said, “I really am just reading it because I am a nervous flyer, and somehow, this book always comforts me.”

-The Amsterdam Airport provided some fun relief in the middle of our trip. The Café’ and Shops are fun. Jeanie and I snuck off to “see the little museum”, which we absolutely did, . . . .right after we popped into the Casino located in the airport and blew $10 in Euros on the slot machine. Jeanie really is the spark plug of vitality for us all. I needed to do some laughing after the long flight. (by the way, we really did make it to the museum, and it is really neat, and small. It had a wonderful exhibit of Dutch Realism, which was striking! I think CMA ought to do something like it at our airport)

-Another long flight from Amsterdam to Mt. Kilimanjaro Airport. Flying over the Sahara, and seeing an oasis here and there is amazing. I rode next to a wonderful Welshman who consults with NGO’s who develop water and sanitation projects in Tanzania. I have him my St. Paul’s Card, and hope to hear from him.

-Upon arriving at Mt. Kilimanjaro Airport, I knew things we going to shift gears. It is a small reagional kind of looking airport even though it serves international flights. Upon setting foot in the airport at 9pm local time, the electricity went out! That certainly woke me up, and encouraged me to pay attention! The lights came on again after a few minutes, and proceeded to go out again about 3 more times. Very exhilarating experience.

-Electricity is certainly at a premium and hard to come by. Meredith arranged for a driver to pick us up he is wonderful! The parking lot of the airport Is filled in darkness, no lights. There is a long line of drivers all with cards with the names off all the people arriving. I took a mental picture of it.

-Our driver loads all the luggage on top of the Land Rover type vehicle. He explains he need to go buy some rope in the airport to tie down our stuff. He returns with an old truck tire inner tube. Luckily, Meredith had a pair of scissors, and Murato and I began to cut strips of rubber to serve as tie-downs.

-We arrive at the Bella Luna around 11pm. We grab a quick snack of freshly baked flat bread, catch our breath at the huge thatch roofed/open air dining room. Head to our lovely small rooms and quickly fall asleep insides the mosquito nets draped over the four post bed.

-4:30am, we are all awakened by a precocious rooster outside our rooms. This is soon followed by the beginning a repeated calls from the Mosque for morning prayer. First he calls out, then chants, then calls again. Its mystical, mysterious, I know I MUST pay attention to it, because it is stirring something inside me. I am compelled to wake up, and sit and listen. When the cycle ends, I open up my Prayer Book and Bible, and realize I should be reading the daily office and lection during my pilgrimage. I am using Forward Movements Day by Day to serve as a reflection on each days readings. I feel like I have truly arrived in Africa.

Comments

[David]

Sam, Thanks for taking the time to share such rich details. I look forward to more. Love & prayers, DB

[Jaimie]

Sam,

Thank you for sharing your experiences with everyone. It sounds like an amazing adventure. I look forward to reading more. My prayers are with you & your travel partners as you go on your journey.

Agape <><
Jaimie

[Eric Ransom]

Sam,

Great to be able to follow some of your journey. May it be a blessed adventure for you.

Peace,

Eric

[Pat Cangelosi-Williams]

Dear Sam:

I am finally slowing down enough to read your about your initial impressions and feelings.(thanks to a cold and having no voice today, I left work early). Tomorrow will be spent helping Carla prepare and pack for her departure on Thursday. What a different kind of pilgrimage we are on this week!

I trust your daily pilgrimage has been rewarding so far (Daily Reflections help me set the mood for the day, too). I marvel at the bravery you, Meridith and Sharon possess, knowing that you will benefit in return for your "self-less" work and understanding that you need to be selfish and feed your soul, even though it must be so tough to be away from Susan and the girls.

Please remember I am keeping all of you in my prayers. We miss you and can't wait to hear about the wonderful relationships you are cultivating. Give Meredith, Sharon, Rich and Mary our best. Buon Viaggio!

Fondly,

Pat

[John Gates]

Sam,

It was a good story of Upon Arriving in Africa. I like at 4:30 we are all awakened.

agape,
John Gates