heathrow reflections

“The great revelation is that Divinity is all about ‘otherness in relatedness.'”

this quote from a recent read while waiting for my flight back to the states couldn’t come at a better time.  these last few weeks in kenya have proven rewarding and difficult.  rewarding in regards to all that we accomplished with ctc and the possibilities that lie on the horizon.  difficult in regards to the feelings i have received while there on this trip.  what is my place?  do i belong?  the only “muzungu” or foreigner present in maai mahiu, the only one of material privilege, the only one not living in their conditions…it has been a growing feeling these last few years that i will never truly fit in or ever be “one of them”.  this proves a difficult lesson after spending the last 10 years of your life dedicated to living amongst a community and intentionally sharing your life connected to them neglecting the comforts and securities of your own country and people.

however, these words, “The great revelation is that Divinity is all about ‘otherness in relatedness,’” brings encouragement.  divinity being intimacy in sharing a relationship with God these words bring peace that despite the tension of conflicting feelings of wanting to share a life with those in kenya and wondering if i even have a place there these words remind me that sharing in the love of God is experienced and lived through the relationships with others…especially those from other worlds than our own.  the more contrasting our worlds the more foreign, the more we are moved beyond our comfort, the more challenged we are and the more tension we presumably will experience.

as our relations with the kenyan people become more connected the more our organization grows and oddly the more i realize just how different we are, yet also how similar in regards to our basic needs for such things as hope, love, a sense of being connected and united in community.

perhaps i am being too distracted and preoccupied with the externals of our circumstances and looking too intently on the material differences and not reflecting at the deeper realities and basic human truths/needs that we share?  regardless i am being stretched and challenged to move beyond my reactionary feelings…ummm yes which is a very good thing.

thank you residents of maai mahiu especially for being patient with me and all of us that are a part of ctc here in the west.  you are teaching all of us a great deal about life, about how interconnected we all are as humans and about how vital it is that we recognize this interconnectedness and allow its disturbances to move in us and create something more, something beautiful through its tension.

big love,

z