SOCCER IS LIFE (OR EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT CULTURAL ADJUSTMENT I LEARNED AT KAMPALA KIDS’ LEAGUE)

Ethan, Toto KKL

Adaptation back to life in the USA is overwhelming.    Yet we know we’ve been called to return to the United States as missionaries.    The best old missionaries always taught and lived that family comes first.    The best old African wise men and women always taught and lived to make many friends.   In those seasons of mystery as one starts afresh old habits create a new.    Old virtues bring new opportunities.    Some of the best pragmatic lessons we learned at Kampala Kids’ League (KKL) in Uganda.

The Lord gave us delightful years to be in Uganda from 1993 to 2004.   Peace had come to Uganda.   The Diaspora scattered by refugee living were returning.    The media was privatized.    Business was booming.     The international community was growing.    Yet there was an

Caleb KKL

unscratched itch for youth sports and social interaction.    KKL came at just the right time.

For our family it was a grace from God for our kids to have a weekly practice and a Saturday game.   With three kids playing many of our Saturdays were spent together at games.   For some reason, I seemed to have somewhat of a gift to bring out the best in kids and resolve parental conflict.   I found myself volunteering in roles from coaching to twice being the basketball commissioner.

We may have offered something to the community, but it was the community who gave so much more back to us.    We discovered wonderful friendships.   Many of these friendships nurtured our ability to adapt.

Sopha's magic bat

In July 2013 we decided it was time to take the biggest risk of our lives.   We would move to the north side of Chicago – near to the largest cluster we could find of East African Diaspora and attempt to launch a multi-cultural church plant.    The first steps would be to settle the kids well.    The pragmatic meant soccer.  After all, growing up in Uganda we knew that soccer is life.  

Before we enrolled Timothy in school and navigated the complicated Chicago Public Schools (CPS) we found an American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) league in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago.    On a Sunday in June we drove from Wheaton to Rogers Park to enroll Timothy.   We moved into Rogers Park in September.   Timothy played his first game.   After the game parents asked me the embarrassing question, “Where is Timothy going to school?”

I admitted, “I have not figured that out yet.   Do you have any suggestions?”

Timothy, Victory Sports Camp

The parents gave me a pretty quick course in navigating the education landscape.    Then they offered to show the way.   (One lesson of adjustment is to follow.)    The next day one parent found that there was one remaining opening for a fifth grade spot at Waters Elementary School (A fine arts magnet school.)   We made a call and registered Timothy.     It has been a God send.    We’re thankful that when we couldn’t find our way soccer families opened a door.

to ask around

The lessons of KKL helped us find our way for Timothy’s school.   Soccer is life.

KICS Soccer Team

Ethan kept playing soccer when we moved to Rwanda.    When we moved to Wheaton he played on the Wheaton North sophomore team and for the Glen Ellyn Lakers club team.  

As we moved to Chicago we looked at several educational options for Ethan.  Chicago Hope Academy (CHA) seemed the best.    CHA is the only non-denominational Christian College Preparatory School in Chicago.    CHA founder, Bob Muzikowski reminds me of many of the older men who have brought out the best in me.    CHA is about the size of Kigali International Community School (KICS) and felt as much like “home” as any place we have found since returning to the USA.    The three stated objectives of CHA are spiritual, academic, and athletic.  

   Ethan tried out for the soccer team.   He made the team and played often.   He was chosen to be

Ethan at Caleb's Harambee

one of the co-captains.    Last week he was selected to the All-Conference Second team as a junior.    We are very thankful.

Again, though adaptation is overwhelming God is taking good care of us.    Time after time something happens to tell us we are just where God desires.     All we needed to know about cultural adaption we learned at KKL.   Soccer is life.   

Thank you all who have shared the soccer journey with us:  KKL – coaches, sponsors, administrators, and friends; KICS – teachers, coaches, board members, and administrators; Wheaton – coaches, teachers, friends, and Missionary Furlough Home board members; Kopion Junior Academy – administrators and coaches; AYSO – coaches, administrators, and friends; CHA – coaches, teachers, administrators, and friends.

Safari salaama (Travel well.) Mungu akubariki (May God bless all of you.)

10 POINT VISION OF SHEPHERDING AFRICA GREAT LAKES DIASPORA AS MISSIONARIES

1.      God gave our family the privilege of 19 years of church planting as adults in East Africa.    The Lord grew that gift to include a deep well of relationships and experiences.

2.      Our people, the Diaspora (a people dispersed from their original homeland who form community http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Diaspora.) from Africa’s Great Lakes (Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda) are clustered in many major cities in North America.     They are doing very well professionally and academically yet some have spiritual struggles in their adaptation.   Their children are Third Culture Kids (TCK’s) just like our own children. 

    3.      We have a solemn pastoral responsibility to shepherd the Diaspora from Africa’s Great Lakes.    We have spent a year praying and listening.    Our intent is to begin a monthly fellowship in Chicago land to shepherd the Diaspora in the fall of 2013 called Great Lakes Fellowship.

   4.      Christianity’s influence in North America has experienced a rapid decline in the last 20 years.

   5.      The greatest growth of Christianity in the 20^th Century was in China, Korea, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

6.      The children and grandchildren of some of the previous century’s most effective

church planters are Diaspora now in North America.

7.      The United States ethnic composition is rapidly shifting.   Caucasians will soon be a minority.

8.      Diaspora esteem deep held American ideals such as faith, knowledge, freedom, ingenuity, and perseverance.

9.      We believe one of the most crucial tasks for Christian influence in North America is to church plant among and with the children of Diaspora peoples.

10. Thus we conclude we have a sacred responsibility to shepherd Africa’s Great Lakes Diaspora through their transitions to become missionaries who plant multi-cultural churches in North America (James 4:12-17.)   We intend to begin a new multi-cultural church in Chicago called Nations Chapel.

THE JOY OF THE MISSIONARY CALL

Senator and friend, Marguerite Nyagahura with our foster son, Gabe

There were many privileges the Lord gave us during our season in East Africa.  One of the greatest ones was joy in our friendships with the African people with whom we served.   We had a few furloughs where we returned to the United States wounded by religious charlatans.   We know missionaries whose return to the United States came during a season of wounding that created Afro pessimism and spiritual bitterness.   Yet, in our departure from Africa’s Great Lakes we had an immense sense of fulfillment.   The institutions we labored to build were stronger than our charisma.   They endure.   Also, our friendships blossomed.   Those we shepherded blessed us.   We are immensely grateful.

            Our missionary calling is a unique spiritual gift.  We believe to be a missionary is to be one sent from one’s earthly home by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of making disciples and developing churches.   That call means over time we become a cultural insider who is never completely at home.   Thus we’re prophetic in holding leaders accountable while pastoral in building institutions that bless coming generations until the Lord returns.   This calling is from the Holy Spirit.   It is never about economic power, race, or national origin.  Only a few will hear a missionary call.   Yet, the call is never restricted to those from certain earthly privileges.

            We believe all cultures need missionaries in their midst.  We observed that over time the missionary vocation became a great source of social strength in East Africa.   Our heritage not only developed churches.  We built schools and scholarship programs.   We counseled diverse national leaders.  We helped the poorest of the poor and most vulnerable.

            Our family believes our new call is to serve the Diaspora from Africa’s Great Lakes who are in North America.  We believe we are doing what missionaries always do.   The Lord is leading us to new niches that most do not see.   A typical weekend for us involves going to social functions of Diaspora in Chicago.  Sometimes we know someone at the function.   Yet, sometimes it is simple beginning introductions.

            We usually say these words, “We are very thankful for the 19 years the Lord gave us as adults in East Africa.   He put a missionary gift in our heart.   We believe we are still to be missionaries even when we return to the USA.”

     

Paulin Byusa, Ame Ishimwe, Joseph Masengeshu, Joris Manzi at Commemoration

       Then spiritual magic happens.   We are met with smiles.   We are met with stories.

            “I went to a missionary school.”

            “A missionary sponsored me and found a scholarship for me to study abroad.”

            “A missionary baptized me.”

            “A missionary performed my wedding.”

            “A missionary prayed for me (or my child, nephew, niece, grandchild, etc…) when I was sick and I was healed.”

            “A missionary counseled a difficult situation in our community and brought unity.”

            “A missionary kept my mom safe during a season of turmoil and strife.”

            We are immensely thankful for such a heritage.   Yet this heritage is not one to hoard.   It calls us to see new community needs, and initiate.   In the process we make many mistakes.   Yet, God’s grace goes far beyond our failings.   Thus the Lord is glorified.

      

      In April as Rwanda faced the month of mourning the tragedy of the 1994 Genocide we sensed it was time to pastorally initiate a commemoration.  As it closed a few Diaspora told us thank you.   The Chicago Rwanda Genocide Memorial would not have happened without a missionary in the Diaspora midst.

            We then spoke something that our missionary elder statesman once said to us.

            “Don’t give me any honor for this.  It was just a missionary thing to do.   The honor needs to go to the Holy Spirit which called us.   All this call is about is discerning when the community has a need that can only be met by an outsider understanding enough to initiate.

            You can be a missionary too.   You are away from home.   America needs you to be a missionary to them.   You will return to your African home someday.  When you return go as a missionary.   Be a Holy Spirit inspired starter.”

            To one thankful Diaspora mom we said, “Again this is no big deal.  It is just a missionary

Diaspora kids - Christian, Zam, and Aisha sharing a meal in our home

call.  The Holy Spirit may call your children to be missionaries too.  If so, bless your children in that call.”

            This is pure missionary joy.  We empathetically understand these old missionary words generations upon generations have repeated, 

 "I can’t tell you how happy I am to learn that many members of your family are diligent in living out the Truth, exactly as commanded by the Father. But permit me a reminder, friends, and this is not a new commandment but simply a repetition of our original and basic charter: that we love each other (2 John 1:4-6, The Message with a little tweak.)"