Mission: Journey is the destination

”What I do you cannot do; but what you do, I cannot do. The needs are great, and none of us, including me ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.” – Mother Theresa

Landing in Dar Es Salaam brings me joy in a similar, abrupt way as getting the wind knocked out of you. The beautifully robed Emirates flight attendants open the back door and a gust of warm, thick, wind enters the stagnant air of the plane – Instantly I know I am in Africa. Climbing down the stairs to the ground, the sun beating down and every Tanzanian airport attendant greets us with a smile. Their greetings are sincere, and when I respond in Swahili, they welcome me. The first foreigner I see is in front of me - she has numerous Tanzanian stamps in her American passport and so I talk to her. I discover she is going where I am going.
“Do you live here” I ask.
“I’m a missionary,” she responds with bright, wide eyes. "I come and go."
I always wonder what that means, to her, to the people she encounters. It can be so many different things ranging from Mother Theresa’s noble work and people who dedicate their entire lives to being part of a village in need, to the southern accents I’ve heard on return flights from Africa, loudly speaking on their cell phones upon landing,
“…We’re safe. Yep, a real success, we got 500 souls!”
But this girl seems genuinely honorable in her work. It makes me want to understand more, and judge less. Because it is easy to be a watchdog of some truth, but often times when we look deeper, our preconceptions are broken down. There has indeed been a long legacy of people bringing the word of God to this continent. Like any work, some of it has been good, some of it lost to ill faith.
This same sweet girl in front of me turns around and asks with eyes wide with wonder, and perhaps a touch of envy.
“Are you traveling alone?”
We go on our ways, each doing our own thing, in our own way. Mother Theresa said “if you judge people, you have no time to give them love.” In my experience of Tanzanians, in their aptitude for greetings and their faith in God, they choose to love. One of my goals for this time is to become informed before making judgments (of course I will do my best to love the people I encounter). It seems always and ever more important to not only love, but also to look deeply at what is before you, whether it is an education program, a government or a new person. One of the best way to do this is through using a practice that my boyfriend’s family is very good at…Ask lots of questions! This is what I am here to do.
I am safe, well and grateful for all the love and support I have received. I am presently getting over jetlag near the sea before embarking further.