In a little under a month from now, Kevin's parents (Mimi and Papa Spann) will be making the long trek to Africa to visit us! We are so excited to have them come to our "neck of the woods" and experience what life is like for us in Africa. That being said, wouldn't it be nice to hear an "outsider's" perspective on their first time visiting another continent/culture/third world country? So we asked the parents to write a few posts about their thoughts, their experiences, and overall opinions on stepping outside of their comfort zone.
Here is the first in our guest blog series...
“I’m just fine right here Mrs. Flood”
The above quote was made by Kevin when his kindergarten teacher was moving all of his classmates to different tables. Kevin was comfortable where he was and wasn't interested in change. Since you are reading this on Kevin and Tasha’s blog you probably have a sense for how much change has occurred in their lives in the past five years or so. Apparently he has learned to at least adapt to change.
In about a month, Debby and I will be getting on a plane to visit Kevin, Tasha, and our granddaughter. We already know about many of the differences between our lives here and what life is like in Kinshasa. Unpredictable electrical power (ours was just off for 2 days), water that must be purified before drinking, and the constant crush of life in a different culture are all things we are aware of and are somewhat prepared for. But, it’s not the change in the daily routine that concerns me. Up to this point in my life the realities and struggles of people living in third world countries have come from news clips on TV that get quickly pushed out of my mind at the end of the six o’clock news. How will I react to what I am about to encounter? I have never seen the level of need that exists there. How will my heart react to what my eyes see? Could it be that my heart is saying, “I’m just fine right here....God”?
