Old World Origins

Something interesting about ministry in Africa is the ... call it depth of cultural background people have. On the surface of it, a churchgoer may look like any other churchgoer, while their origins may be “old world”. My own wife grew up in a house with an earthen floor, part built with reeds, and walls daubed with clay (it still stands today). One churchgoer told me that he grew up in a kraal, while another told me that he was raised as a bedouin. This means that some have bridged huge cultural divides -- and sometimes they hold two worlds within -- their old world which often remains hidden, and the life they live now. They may also have rare mother tongues -- unlike the developed world, where people generally adopted a major language long ago.