Perspectives

A big thing we are trying to deal with right now is other people’s perspectives. What do I mean? What is your perspective? It is what you know, what you grew up learning, understanding. It is your values and convictions (what is important to you). It is your world view. How do you view other cultures? Do you understand other cultures? Are you able to relate (accurately), maybe even except other people and places? It is a difficult thing to do because it is not natural especially for someone who is not multicultural (like a missionary kid or third culture individual is).
It is like this: if you were born and raised here and never really been anywhere else for a long period of time you view everything through the only set of cultural lens you have. Trying to view Zambia and the Zambian culture through the lens of West Central Minnesota does not work. Maybe your lens is a little bigger (North America and South America) and that can be helpful. But only if you understand that it is still not going to give you a clear (complete) understanding of the African culture. Even if you have an African lens to look through does not guarantee you an accurate view. Why not? Africa is about the same size as all of North America, just think of all the cultures across our continent. So having an understanding of one part of Africa does not guarantee you will be able to understand or relate to another part of Africa. It does rather seem complicated and very daunting.
What is the answer to being able to understand (& adapt) to people (whether here or there)? Humility! Realizing that you don’t know it all, you don’t have all the answers and what you do know may not be accurate. And that it is okay that someone else may know more than you do about the culture, and be willing to accept what they tell me is true. To say, “I may not understand completely, but I can know that they know more than me.”
Why do I bring this up? Well, in talking to people I am clearly seeing a lack of understanding of what Africa (especially Zambia) is. And I am learning that I can tell people what it is like, I can show pictures, even a video. And some people are still not going to understand (get it). I wish they would just take my word for it at that point but that is not very realistic. They may later but not right now. God’s teaching me a lot about grace. 
Even in the frustrations I really enjoy sharing about what our Father has called the Kallevig Klan to do in Zambia. I know that in its self is hard for people to comprehend, and then throw this culture difference on top and it just becomes too much for some (many) to understand, except, support. Why? Some cannot see themselves doing it, so how could you (us) possibly do it? Somewhere in there there is a self condemnation, they somehow feel like they are being judged. Maybe they just feel some kind of twang inside, a nudging or maybe it is the spirit of conviction or it could be the devil trying to place guilt and shame. I don’t know, but you know what, I know someone you can ask to find out. His name is YAHWEH (some call Him Father, Lord, God). HE can tell you what you’re feeling and where it is coming from.
One thing I am not going to do is guilt anyone into supporting us in anyway. That is clearly one of the things GOD revealed to me last week. I am just supposed to ask people to pray, to take a week or two and devote time in prayer about what God wants them to do. Talk about setting me free, it is not my job. All I am to do is present an opportunity, share my heart, call people to pray and let HIM take care of the rest. Yes, there are people out there who are NOT suppose to support us, there are people that are but haven’t asked God yet; but they won’t know unless they pray.