new territory

As far as African cities go, Mwanza is relatively safe. 

But every once in awhile, robberies, muggings and news of even worse crimes remind us that for many reasons, including desperate poverty and a twisted sense of entitlement, acts of violence are as much a part of the landscape in East Africa as mango trees.  

Many days, we carry around a low to medium level of anxiety for our physical safety; especially when walking around town alone, getting into a taxi at night or leaving a bank machine.  This is proving to be challenging new territory for our faith. 

We knew that by coming here, we were signing up for periods of loneliness, for frustration at work and gastrointestinal distress.  And while we understood--at least on an abstract level--that violence and danger and death are much more a part of everyday life here, we had not really consciously signed up to personally face such violence.

Which raises all kinds of questions about our ability to trust in God’s goodness in any circumstance, about whether we accept that God never promised us safe, violent-crime-free lives, but DID promise never to leave us or forsake us, and about how to conduct ourselves wisely without become paralyzed by fear.

So here we are to ask for prayer again--for continued protection over our going out and coming in, for wisdom, and for the peace that surpasses understanding so that we can keep walking faithfully each day.