It's Complicated, Part 1
I've been struggling to articulate something about the companion relationship we have between Shepherd of the Valley and Tungamalenga Parish, between people from Minnesota and Tanzania. Crossing cultures to do ministry together is deeply rewarding and also deeply complicated. At the heart of our partnership are the relationships that develop between the people who travel from a developed country to a developing country, between people of means and people who live in poverty, between people who are unsure of how they will fare in rustic living conditions and people who offer gracious, sacrificial hospitality to strangers. At the heart of this partnership is the experience of overcoming all the cultural boundaries and challenges and differences, and coming to a place where our common faith in Jesus connects us all, across the barriers of language, culture, finances, expectations, and experiences. I don't have the words to adequately describe for you...