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It was about eight-thirty at night when I joined our group of interns for a time of worship, sitting on an area of grass, on an island in the middle of the Nile River. The setting alone, made the moment memorable. We were surrounded by complete darkness, with the exception of a few Kerosene lanterns and a sky full of stars. As I sat down Heath, one of the interns, asked, “Is that the big dipper?” I looked straight up, searching for the small, but very recognizable, seven stars that form what is known in America as The Big Dipper (in Africa it is know as the Drinking Gourd). Not able to locate them, I asked Heath to point them out. Instead of pointing up into the sky, where I usually look for this group of stars, he pointed directly out, almost eye level. Sitting on the horizon was the cup of the big dipper, its four large and very bright stars tilted as if ready to serve someone. Never in my life have I seen the Big Dipper look so magnified and close in proximity. I felt like I could almost reach out and touch it. It was amazing to think that I have located and stared at that cluster of stars so many times and in many different places. The position of the Big Dipper never appeared all that different when viewed from these varied locations. However, my viewpoint from the Nile River was completely different. In that moment, I realized how living in Africa is allowing me to experience everything, even the Big Dipper, from a completely new perspective.
I’m becoming more aware that my perspective is limited--limited by my environment, my experiences, and ultimately, my choices. Up until recently, I think I’ve been content with the arrangement. It was comfortable for me, but more importantly, it was critical in forming the foundation of my faith. I was handed down a faith that was known in our family for generations. I grew up surrounded by Christian family and church community, rarely exposed to people who thought and believed differently than what I knew. I am thankful for the heritage of faith that serves as my foundation, but I recognize the limitations I have to effectively communicate my faith and theology, because it’s all I have ever known. I was never forced or challenged to question my faith or that of those around me. I had no reason to choose a different system of beliefs, and so from a young age I desired to know God and serve him.
I instinctively looked straight up into the sky where I’ve always viewed the Big Dipper. In the same way, without a conscious effort, I will initially view all things from my perspective. However, as an adult, I am finding that my limited perspective makes it difficult relating to other people outside of the theology I received or my personal experiences. And yet, I believe it is important that a Christian, particularly in today’s world, be able to think and minister across multiple frameworks of seeing reality. I believe that God is using my time in Africa to reshape the theology that I have always known. As I encounter issues of poverty and wealth; as I am surrounded by people who hold a different system of beliefs; as I worship among believers who express their faith very differently than me; as I am acquainted with people from all over the world who have journeyed to Jinja for very different reasons -- I am being challenged to consider, and even appreciate, different perspectives of life. May this serve to help me better identify and communicate my own faith, and in turn minister more effectively to those around me.
Below is an interesting fact about how the Big Dipper was named. I retrieved this from the website www.singularsci.com:
You may wonder how Americans came to give the most famous of all asterisms the name Big Dipper, when the mother country refers to it as The Plow. Indeed, in early colonial times in America it was also called The Plow. A dipper is a large ladle for dipping and pouring liquids for drinking. From the historical pieces I have been able to put together, the American name appears to come from a term African-Americans inherited from their original homeland. In western Africa, The Big Dipper is referred to as The Drinking Gourd, a large spoon shaped utensil carved from the shell of a dried gourd fruit. In fact, before the American Civil War, slaves were aided in their trek north to freedom by remembering the phrase “follow The Drinking Gourd”. Because The Big Dipper is the most noticeable asterism in the northern sky, this advice worked very well. In the southern U.S., only slaves drank from drinking gourds; therefore, their masters came to call this star group The Big Dipper since dippers were the metal or glass equivalents of drinking gourds used at high social occasions for pouring liquid refreshments. So ultimately, we have African-American lore to thank for the uniquely American term.
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Lori's Closet 
