Jellyfish and Sunburns

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We just spent the weekend in Mozambique (29 for those of you keeping track), and it was fabulous. Touristy, absolutely. Overpriced, probably. Relaxing and serene, yes and yes. As some of you know, Manguzi is about 15km from the Mozambique border, so if we hadn't gone this weekend, then I probably would have tried to run across the border at some point. Luckily, that didn't have to happen because we set off for Ponta do Ouro last Friday. Ponta is frequently visited by the doctors here when they get some free time, and it is quite the tourist destination for many South Africans. I'm not entirely sure why they have to cross the border for great beaches and scuba diving, but they do. Ponta basically exists to cater to the tourists. The only way to get into the town is with a 4x4 vehicle which means that the 8km journey from the border gate to the beach took about 40 minutes of traversing sandy and jungle-filled hills and roads. Then, we hit a cluster of shacks, came around the corner, and the beach/waves/ocean were in full view. Simply fantastic. My initial impulse was that I should have ranked Ventura, CA as my #1 program (that quickly faded). Naturally, I was the first person out of the truck, into my running shorts (which, with all these Europeans and South Africans, the shorts are not near short/tight enough), and into the ocean. It wasn't until I returned to the beach after being pummeled by the waves for 30 minutes that I realized I was the only person on the whole coastline who was in the ocean. I was pretty stunned by that. Sun, check. 80-90 degree weather, check. Clear water, check. Waves, check. People in swimgear on the beach, check. All the ingredients were there. My trusty American students then pointed out the lines of jellyfish on the beach which I had simply stepped over on my foray into the water. After seeing the jellyfish on the beach I then began to notice that my legs were stinging quite a bit. Turns out those jellyfish were in the waves too. Maybe a wiser person would have counted their losses, and just enjoyed the scenery and the power of the crashing waves from a distance. I decided that, since I'd already been stung multiple times, I might as well get in again, and again, and again. It wasn't until Sunday that we finally had a jellyfish free ocean (which I don't know why they weren't there on Sun), but, you'll be happy to know that I didn't let it slow me down. Nor did the massive sunburn I got on Sat. Turns out 6 straight hours on the beach after coming from a Kansas winter is not a wise choice (I did wear sunscreen but it also turns out that "water and sweat proof" doesn't really hold up to hours of ocean time and a jog along the beach).

Speaking of a lack of wisdom, the weekend also provided ample time to reflect and meditate. If you get tired of my armchair philosophies, then feel free to stop reading. I won't be offended, but I thought of this idea which I'd like to put out there to see whether it holds water. As you all know there are massive disparities in our world. Ponta was a perfect place to see the juxtaposition of the rich (aka white tourists, aka me) next to the poor (aka local Mozambiqans). These gaps trouble me everywhere I go (Mozambique, South Africa, Kenya, Haiti, India, Memphis, etc...). I have no idea what to do about them. Redistribution of wealth? Great in theory, probably not the best idea in practice. What also am I to do with the fact that God is the God of both groups of people. In my peanut brain it doesn't seem like justice to have these huge disparities. When I was in Kenya, I had the idea that a different standard needed to be set. Kenya should not be "improved" to look like the US, nor should the US be "improved" to look like Kenya. The both needed to be improved to look like the Kingdom of God. I'm still learning what that looks like. Walking through Ponta, I thought that maybe this different standard also applies to values which magnify these disparities. Let me say that I know that God loves the poor (I think the Bible is pretty clear in that regard). However, I don't know that bringing them out of poverty is His top priority. Let me put it another way. When I look at the slums, I think that the most important thing is to give them jobs and healthcare and homes. Maybe, when God looks at the slums, He thinks that the most important thing is to give them things like joy, peace, patience, kindness, self-control...you know, fruits of the Spirit kind of things. Maybe He thinks that those are the most important things for me too. That's what I mean by that different value system. I value to tangible and terrestial things first. God values Spiritual things first. I don't think he disregards those earthly needs, but they take a backseat. These thoughts then lead me to the action side of things. If true, how would such an ideology shape my behavior? I don't know. I've got to rethink my value system. After that... I've got a lot to learn. For now, I'll just plug back into the hospital tomorrow and open myself up to learning. Hope some of that made some sense. Sorry that it was a bit long.

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Comments

[Josh]

Indeed
Loving your posts. Also, I don't mind your armchair philosophy and your theology as shoddy as it might be ;)