This Nigerian expedition started out as a multicultural experience with the cross-Atlantic flight from Atlanta to Amsterdam. I was thrilled to discover that I had a middle seat between two strangers for this 8.5 hour flight. (This may be perceived as sarcastic, but for those who know me well, you can be sure this is true!) I was even more tickled when I determined that one of my travel companions was a stockbroker returning to his home in Iran and another was a foreign exchange student returning home to Turkey after studying at Stevens High School in San Antonio! We had conversed about the culture of the Middle East, determined which of the airplane food contained pork and which was safe, discussed the merits of the man’s grandchildren growing up in the US and not learning their native Persian language and entertained many other fascinating topics during the interminable flight!
After a thoroughly enjoyable week in Jalingo, I left my home to travel with the Iowa group to Bambur, a more remote and rural portion of the United Methodist Church of Nigeria. Our entourage was composed of our driver, Yusuf, who is a Nigerian, Chan and Hee Song who are Korean-Americans and Linda and myself who are native Iowans. Along our journey, we sang many songs in a variety of languages. It was so much fun! I feel the most impressive was when we sang the chorus “God is so Good” in English, Hausa (regional Nigerian language), Mamui (Yusuf’s tribal language), Korean, and Spanish. How cool is that?! People experience God more wholly within a variety of different contexts. Connecting with individuals from different cultures has enabled me experience a more expansive and multi-faceted God in a greater way.
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