Its Saturday afternoon and as i sit here in the house where I am staying, I hear the sound of drums moving fast and happy. The pastor with whom i am staying, Ian, tells me there must be a wedding close by. A few hours from now it will be noon in the states and I am sure from my house one might hear a base as well, not from a set of drums, but from a car's audio base playing some kind of music that I don't totally understanding. It is amazing how we all live together.
This morning I woke-up, jet-lag free, and went to Pinetown Methodist Church with my Pastor here. I walked to the store to get a few things then came back to a circuit meeting of pastors and lay people. Don't worry, those who are concerned about my rest, I skipped most of the business portion and was only present during the devotion and the tea, ofcourse. The meeting was a smattering of black and white. In this meeting they asked early on if they needed translation and they did. I was surprised as no one seemed to be put out by this, most took out notebooks or phones when their mother tongue was not being spoken. I could tell they were all well-trained in this practice of patience. Readers from the Southeast District, we are not the only Methodist around the world that meet billingually on a regular basis! Branches UMC we are not the only church that worships billingually! It is amazing how we all live together.
Two years ago when I was last here I told many that South Africa is not too different from Miami. After two years of living in Miami and coming back to SA I can say my predictions were right. Durban and miami are cities where many people from many backgrounds live, work, and worship together. Both accept, tollerate, or seek this life-style, yet, whatever the motivation, they are put in a place where they are with others who think, act, and believe things different than themselves. In the midst of it all people are being formed and holiness might have the possibility to take shape.
When I first moved to Miami and other times I have visited South Africa foreign languages have shocked me and even scared me a bit. Yesterday, it wasn't until I was in Johannesburg for more than two hours that I realized other languages were being spoken around me. The noise at naptime from the drums seemed somewhat normal, which might indicate patience growing inside me for the base that finds its way to my backyard every weekend. Maybe these things, patience and flexibility are the riches recieved when living in diversity? Maybe this mad way of living is a source to the fruits of the spirit? These fruits are grown sometimes without us knowing but maybe moreso when we stop in the middle of the maddness (traffic, noisy neighbors, busy lines at Wal-mart, etc) and ask, "Lord what do you have to teach me?" This week I will be pondering that question as I meet with many people from many parts of the world. I encourage you to Branches UMC to do the same, and anyone else who is reading. This week rather than choosing complaining or anger in the midst of situations that are out of our norm, let us ask, "Lord what are you teaching me?" May the Fruits of the Spirit be born in each of us!
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