Reflection of who I am.

I think we all struggle with who we are and who God has made us to be. This post is an extra post. I do not do a lot of these, but I created a devotion for September 7, 2026, and the focus was on conducting ourselves honorably. I wrote about how the devotion would be posted after I returned from a trip I was preparing for to Tanzania. The devotion I wrote for that day is linked above, but here is the text of that devotion:

This devotion will post after I have arrived back from a trip I am taking to visit Tanzania and the Morogoro Diocese, which is the companion to the synod I serve in the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America). I was wondering about how I need to conduct myself to honor the culture I was visiting. I wrote this devotion before that trip, and I am preparing to be myself and still conduct myself in ways to honor their culture and learn how we move and live together.
I was advised by a friend who is the liaison to the ELCA for companion synods to be myself and to be prepared to answer questions about my appearance for those who want to ask when they get comfortable with me. I know that I will get questions, but being true to myself is always the right answer. I am who God created me to be, and that is who all of us should be, and not shrink ourselves to fit in others’ boxes, but also honor those who may not understand how we present ourselves in order to not stop unity before it begins.
Strive for unity but never at the expense of who you are in God.

This visit was part of a consultation between the ELCT (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania) and the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America). I serve the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod of the ELCA as the DEM (Director of Evangelical Mission) and was invited by my bishop to attend the consultation and then go to the sister diocese for a one-on-one visit. The sister diocese for the AOK Synod is the Morogoro Diocese. We left the US on August 23, 2026, and arrived in Tanzania on August 24, 2026. The consultation was in Arusha from August 26-28. We traveled from Arusha to Morogoro on August 29, and were in Morogoro from August 29 to September 3, when we made our way to Dar Es Salaam tp fly back to the US, arriving on September 4.

I was concerned about dressing appropriately and how my appearance would be accepted. I have gauged ears with rainbow tunnels, and my beard was dyed orange but faded. My concern when I wrote this devotional was that I wanted to get a mani/pedi and get my nails painted. My friend told me to be myself, but to be prepared to answer questions. This is honestly no different for me than being in the United States.

The only question I was asked about my gauged ears was whether I was a Maasai. Maasai are known for their stretched earlobes, and a few members of the Maasai tribe asked me at an event hosted by the Morogoro Diocese. I was also asked when one of the pastors from the diocese was able to visit us in Arkansas-Oklahoma, if we could go to the place I get my nails done, so she could get her toenails painted like mine.

I was myself, and they accepted me, like I accepted them. Did I do everything correctly? No. I stumbled and messed up, but they saw my heart and that I was trying to learn about their customs and be a part of who they are. We established the beginning of a wonderful relationship of building the body of Christ across the ocean.

This trip allowed me to see the body of Christ that is flourishing. It allowed me to participate in gatherings that gave me hope for the kindom of God.

We participated in a worship day that lasted six and a half hours, plus three hours of travel, so nine total hours for worship.

We left our hotel at 6:30 am and drove for ninety minutes to get to the location of the parish we worshipped at. This was a big day for this parish, as they were doing a fundraising event; that is why the Bishop of the Morogoro Diocese was there and why we from the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod (AOK Synod) were invited to be there. We arrived at the parish around 8, and we had breakfast or chai. Worship started about 9 am and that lasted for about 3 hours. During worship, they collected three separate offerings. When worship ended, the Bishop started the fundraising portion of the day. The Bishop said the parish was hoping to raise 100,000,000 TZS (Tanzanian shillings) for the new building they needed to construct. There were local government officials and other dignitaries in attendance, but before any of them were called forward to speak, the Bishop called the pastor of the parish and the parish council forward to state how much their family was going to donate for the building. Each member of the council by name was asked how much their family was going to give. Some said an amount and placed it in a basket; some said they could not financially contribute. They were not coerced or forced to give. They each freely gave because they believed in the mission of the parish. After the council, other members of the parish were called forward. Each family was asked what they could give. I remember two women who each pledged 500,000 TZS this month as they placed it in the basket, and another 500,000 TZS next month. As they did this, I googled the average monthly salary in Tanzania, and the answer I remember was 500,000 TZS. Each of these women pledged an average monthly salary for August and an average monthly salary for September. And to put this in dollars for those in the US, that is roughly $290. The thing that really gave me hope was after the roll call that would have people walking out of congregations in the US, they invited others to come forward and a man from the community, who is not a member of the parish, heard they were doing the fundraiser and knew the ministry the parish did for the community came and he pledged and gave 500,000TZS! Then the public officials I mentioned earlier had their turn. Some of them gave blocks and cement; others gave large sums of shillings from the agency and their personal funds. The community backed this parish for the way they instilled community and love into the place. In total tha day, they raised at least 88,000,000 TZS.

The fundraising went on until about 1 pm, when we had lunch as a parish, and then we got back in the car with Bishop George Pindua, and we drove the ninety minutes back to our hotel. A nine and a half hour day for a worship service. And it was not long, and it was spirit-filled and holy and empowering, and it gave me hope for the church!

The Lutheran church in Tanzania is thriving; they had to turn away children who wanted to come and sing for the worship services when the ELCA came because there would be way too many people. They have a love of God that is infectious and holy, and I would love to see it become a part of our culture here. It is not just about having worship, but the way they live. Every time we got into the car to go somewhere with Bishop Pindua, someone would pray for the day and the journey. They invite God in, look for where God is leading, and seek to be God in the community. And the communities see this and see what the church is doing and see that it is needed. It is evangelism lived out in daily life.

It is hope.

How do we stay true to who we are, and live out this hope?