Travelling With Faith
November 10, 2013 | Sara Bartel, Macaila Funk & Emily Hooge

How do you accept others beliefs when yours are so different from theirs?
Would you abandon your baby if you could not support it?
How do we believe in something if we can’t see it?

Wanting to experience a different culture, we set off, along with Luke- Driedger Enns, to explore Southeast Asia for two months last year. We ended up briefly exploring Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia and gaining experiences we will never forget. After returning home to snow in April, the two of us decided it was time to go on another adventure- this time to Costa Rica. This trip had a different feel, as we stayed with a local host family for half of our trip. We learned more about the Costa Rican or ‘tico’ lifestyle through experiences such as watching soccer games as a family, sharing meals together and attempting to communicate.

On both trips, we had the chance to volunteer locally and explore the countries as tourists as well. In Thailand, we were lucky enough to stay with a local family where we experienced everyday life - planting papayas, bananas, chili peppers and eggplants, going to the local market, and helping prepare thai meals. We also learned to meditate from the husband of the family, Hajjar Gibran, who is of ancestral descent of Kahlil Gibran, the well- known author of ‘The Prophet’. Some other significant experiences we had in Southeast Asia include riding an elephant, visiting and learning about Buddhist temples and historical monuments, and travelling by different modes of transportation.

While in Costa Rica, we spent the first half of our trip volunteering at an orphanage while staying with our host family. We spent the second half soaking up the sun, testing our birdcalls and playing tug of war with the raccoons who kept trying to steal our backpack. But that’s beside the point. The children that we were with ranged from 1- 4 years old. Even though they didn’t know us, and we had limited Spanish, they opened up to us immediately. We brought craft supplies and toys for the kids, but it was much simpler than that- all they really wanted was someone to play and spend time with them or simply just hold them.

SO… what role does faith play in all of this?

We have to admit that these trips were for our own purpose- prior to leaving we hadn’t really thought about the impact God would have. Looking back, He was guiding us throughout our many encounters. Every night bus that we hesitantly boarded, every time that we had no idea where we’d rest our head that night, every time we struggled to communicate with a child, and every time we had no idea where we were on the map – God was there with us. How else would we have had the courage to go to places where we spoke little or none of their language, to feel safe among strangers or to willingly (or unwillingly) try unidentified food items.

There were many times during our travels that we wondered where God could possibly be. During a tour of the Killing Fields in Cambodia, we learned about the millions of people of all ages that were tortured and executed under the ruling of the Khmer Rouge. Afterwards, we sat in silence in our tuk tuk unable to comprehend this. “It just leaves a bad taste in your mouth” was the comment Luke had. Seeing evidence of this sickening genocide made it difficult to feel God’s presence. Knowing that the innocent children in Costa Rica, that we came to love, were without a family made us realize that it could’ve just as easily been us in the same situation. We were constantly reminded of how lucky we are to have the loving families that we do.

At the same time, how could God not be present in the countless experiences that left us in awe. Whether we were witnessing a breathtaking sunrise at the ancient ‘Mee Son’ ruins, snorkeling through the clearest blue waters imaginable or playing ‘I Spy’ while searching for wildlife as we hiked in the rainforest, God’s beauty never failed. Experiencing different religions allowed us to connect with God in ways that were unfamiliar. Participating in different church services and learning about Buddhism opened our eyes to a new perspective and gave us things to think about regarding our own faith. On our first night with our host family, we were invited to attend church with them. Because of the language barrier, it was impossible to understand what the preacher was saying. We had no emotional connection to the service until the congregation began to sing “Here I am to Worship”, a familiar song from our SMYO youth retreats. It was crazy to think that in a place so foreign to us, we still felt connected through God.

Caught up in the moment, we did not realize how much God was portrayed through the people we encountered. One time in particular, we were trying to find the Chinatown in Bangkok. In a city of more than 6 million people, it is not as easy as it sounds. Frustrated, discouraged and on the verge of giving up, a woman who saw that we were struggling came to our rescue and told us exactly where to go. She even sent us on our way with a bundle of fruit she had just bought at the market. We consistently saw God through the hospitality and openness of Hajjar and his wife Lumyai, who ended up calling us their children. They invited us into their home and their lives and shared with us many insightful and challenging thoughts. At the orphanage, the children’s pasts were irrelevant, every worker- whether a cook or a caregiver- loved every child unconditionally and we were to do the same. We truly believe that we met these people for a reason and we will continue to learn from them even if we never meet again.

We do not need to travel across the world to be challenged by or feel God’s presence- it can appear in our everyday lives when we least expect it. Traveling with faith did not give us all the answers. In fact, it probably only brought up more questions. But if we open up our hearts and our minds we give God the chance to lead us in the right direction.

If you have ever been to Kenya you will know the feeling of the hot sun against your dust caked skin. You will know the sight of the red earth and the beautiful Kenyan sunrises. You will know the sound of the Kenyan people and honking cars that can be heard all hours of the day. You will know the odd combination of the smell of burning garbage and street vendors. This is the Kenya that I saw and grew to love. This past spring I travelled to Nairobi, Kenya to fulfill a dream I have had since I was a small girl – to volunteer overseas with children. When I planned this trip I knew that it would challenge me and teach me lessons, but I had no idea of the extent to which it would affect me.

For six weeks I lived and volunteered in Happy Life Children’s Home for Abandoned Babies. Happy Life is home to sixty-five children from the ages of 0-10, with the majority of children under the age of five. In Kenya there is what you could almost call an epidemic of abandonment. It is not uncommon for people to abandon their babies on the side of the road when they cannot support them, or give birth out of wedlock. This abandonment typically happens in the first few days of life before a bond is formed between the parents and the child. The majority of children at Happy Life were abandoned by their parents. For this reason Happy Life is not referred to as an orphanage, but as a home for abandoned babies because many of the children living at Happy Life have parents, they just do not know who, or where they are.

When we began speaking today, we asked the question: If you couldn’t support a child would you abandon it? I have asked myself this question countless times and have never come up with an answer. I am not in the position of these women and parents and therefore cannot judge them; however, I can more easily understand parents who abandon their children at the hospital where they know they will be taken care of. Unfortunately, children in Kenya are not always abandoned at the hospital. Many children that come to Happy Life are malnourished and were abandoned on the side of the road or in other unsafe places. One child at Happy Life named Dhamana has a particularly horrible story of abandonment. Dhamana’s birth mother strangled him with a plastic bag and threw him down an abandoned public outhouse when he was only a few days old. By some miracle of God, women walking by heard him cry and rescued him. He is not alone. There are many stories of children abandoned on the side of the road or found tied to a sign with their umbilical cord. When I think of the beautiful, vibrant children at Happy Life I cannot help but think of all the children who are not lucky enough to be found and saved. This both challenges and renews my faith in God. On one hand I marvel at the work of God in saving children like Dhamana, but on the other hand I am angry that some innocent children are not as fortunate and I question God.

Throughout my trip my faith in God was constantly challenged and reaffirmed. When I got on the plane in Saskatoon and began my journey I trusted God to deliver me safely. When I stepped of the plane in Nairobi, truly alone in a foreign country, I placed all of my faith in God. When it seemed no one was there to pick me up from the airport I prayed to God. When I arrived at Happy Life in the middle of the night I was scared and realized how truly alone I was. But suddenly I heard the cry of an infant and realized that I was not alone and that God had provided for me and would provide for me in this strange place. In those first few days I relied on God more than I ever have in my life.

God is everywhere in Kenya. There is at least one church on every street, vehicles have bumper stickers with sayings such as “real men love Jesus”, and almost every radio station, whether they play Rihanna or not, talks about God. I have never met people with such outwardly strong faith as I did in Kenya. Kenyan people truly know the meaning of the world “praise”, and if you have ever been to a lively African church service you will know what I mean. The African people have an incredible outward love of God and tears of thanksgiving often run down their cheeks during the services.  This environment, where absolute faith in God is so apparent, reaffirmed and strengthened my faith in God. 

Experiences in Kenya also challenged my faith in God. During my third week at Happy Life some African American volunteers from the southern United States came for a week. One of them was a very opinionated pastor of a Baptist church. There were some very obvious differences between her beliefs and my beliefs about God and what was right and wrong. I found the stark contrasts in our beliefs to be unsettling when we both identified as Christian and shared the same Bible. I found myself wondering what beliefs were truly correct when the Bible could be interpreted in so many different ways. How could I navigate Christianity when Christianity meant so many different things? I recognized that living in a world full of so many different beliefs, whether they are different beliefs within your own religion or between different religions, will never be simple or easy. I came to realize that although there are so many contradicting ideas about what is right and wrong, the most important principle is love - to love God, to love the people in your life, and to love yourself.

My faith was not the only thing that was challenged on this trip. I witnessed many different extremes which challenged my ideas about the world and continue to challenge me to this day. While I was in Kenya I had the opportunity to go and visit Kibera, the second largest slum in all of Africa. I was hesitant about touring Kibera, because I did not want the residents to feel like I was viewing them like they were in a zoo; however, I also knew that despite the fact that it might be an uncomfortable experience, it was important for me to see true poverty. Kibera is home to 800,000 people in 3 ¼ square miles that live in tin shanties. There are three social classes in Kibera, and we visited the highest class because the others were unsafe. Despite the area we visited being the nicest part of the slums, I was not prepared for what I saw. The shanties were crammed in as close as  physically possible with little paths between them no wider than two feet across. These walkways had a small trench in them for water and sewage to flow. I cannot describe the feces, garbage and needles that were strewn throughout these tight paths or the overwhelming stench. And I also cannot begin to imagine what it would be like in the worst parts of Kibera. I also saw the other extreme, in the lavish and ridiculous extravagant tourist venues and shopping malls for foreigners. I witnessed the beautiful smiles of children and heard the adorable sounds of their laughs. I even observed some of the most majestic animals in the world on a safari. These horrifying and incredible extremes were all in one place and I was troubled by how there could be such different extremes in the world. This caused me to questioned the true meaning of wealth and I began to resent the consumerist society we live in. There are so many people who have so much, but are so unhappy, yet I witnessed the true happiness of Kenyan people living with so much less. When I returned home to Canada I was disgusted by my own wealth. I went back to working at a clothing store, where one item of clothing can be more than a few months salary of a person in Kenya. It is difficult to remember and practice the non-materialistic lessons I learned in Kenya, while living in the consumerist culture of Canada. This issue still challenges me to this very day.

My trip to Kenya not only challenged me but also taught me many things. I learned how truly lucky I am to speak English and live in a country that is based on principles of equality and freedom. In Kenya homosexuality is illegal and is punishable with up to 14 years in prison and the justice system runs mainly on bribes. I learned not to take clean water and power for granted, and to never complain about Saskatchewan potholes again. I learned how difficult it is to be a minority, something that is a rare experience for many Caucasian individuals. It was rare for me to see another Caucasian person in Kenya and as a result I felt as if my every move was being scrutinized and there were assumptions being made about me based on the color of my skin. I also learnt the value of patience and that when you are around a dozen infants that you are never safe from puke or slobber.

I was fortunate enough to witness something that few people in this world get to experience – a child receiving adoptive parents. Watching the newly created families bond was a magical event. Although the children were apprehensive at first, by the time the parents took them home the child was completely attached. To me this was a beautiful miracle of God; however, watching the adoption of other children was very hard on the children who were old enough to understand what was happening. One eight-year-old boy stood with silent tears trickling down his face as he watched Dhamana meet his parents. He longed for a family of his own and understood that children of his age are not usually adopted. I also witnessed children improving: I saw Natasha, a child with brain damage stand for the first time, I witnessed Hannah gain weight and Tai begin to eat and grow stronger, and I taught children to walk. I marveled at all of these events. I was even able to treat some of the children to their first ice cream cone and teach them to ride an escalator – which was more chaotic than I thought it would be.

I am in the critical period in my life where my ideas and worldviews are still being formed and developed. This trip has impacted me in ways that I may never be aware of. Before my trip to Kenya I naively went along with the common idea in the Western world that we have so much to teach African people. I am here to tell you that that is not the case – the people of Africa have so much to teach us.  There was a sign at Happy Life that read “You may not be able to change the whole world, but you can change the whole world for one child.” I believe that this sign has a message for all of us. There is so much need in the world both in Saskatoon and abroad. I challenge you to fulfill one need, and if enough of us do it we can make a difference in the world.

I would like to thank the congregation for supporting me on my trip last spring. I am very excited to have Emily and Macaila, as well as our friend Alana Hildebrant, join me on a trip to Kenya this coming spring.

So, How do you accept others beliefs when yours are so different from theirs?
Would you abandon your baby if you could not support it?
How do we believe in something if we can’t see it?
We still do not know the answers to these questions; however, we do know that God is not only with us in our travels. God is with us in our everyday lives and it is up to us to appreciate his presence.