Contrails

This afternoon I was walking outside and I looked up at the sky and something hit me. No, I don't mean something literally hit me, I mean I realized something: I have never seen a contrail in Tamale. You know what contrails are, right? They are those frozen lines of jet exhaust that zigzag across the sky. Back home, it's almost impossible to look up and not see a contrail. Of course, back home I live within an hour of the world's busiest airport; but still, it seems you'd see at least see an occasional contrail over here. But you don't.

This experience was just one more reminder to me of how culture-bound we all are. Stated another way, whatever the weather is like in your neck of the woods is what you think it's like everywhere. But it's not.

We tend to think everybody thinks just like we do, and has the same shared experiences. But they don't.

Experts can talk about our "shrinking world" all they want, but believe me, it's still an awful big place with more diversity than you can imagine. The absence of contrails is also a reminder to me that I am currently "way out there…" But I already knew that.

Tonight there are two African pastors in the room that adjoins the Dr. Jackson Suite. They seem like nice men. I just met them at supper tonight. Jesse Walters, the "God Story producer guy" arrived this morning and is in my former room. He will be working with two different pastors a week for several weeks to record the God story soundtrack in more languages.

Tomorrow I am preaching at a village called B Dakpemyili. I'll be preaching about Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10); how the story of his salvation can help us understand our own salvation. I'm looking forward to meeting another group of Ghanaian believers. I'll give an update on the service tomorrow; same bat time, same bat station. Meanwhile, enjoy your worship service tomorrow; I know you will.