Recently, Percy and I were told that we needed to bring Esther more around "her people"- While we found this comment highly offensive, (Uh... are we not her people?) it really made me start to think:
Do I have people? and if I do, Who are my people?
This concept of your child's "people" is prevalent in the adoption community. During the adoption process, you are constantly asked "What are you going to do to teach your child their heritage or keep them connected to their original culture? My answer thus far has been "Esther would still eats out of the compost pile if we let her, hence we will focus more on culture when that stops." But in all seriousness, as she grows and matures, how should we invest in the Ethiopian community? Should she take Amharic lessons? Learn to enjoy Ethiopian food? And what specifically is culture? Is it food/ language/clothing styles?
I started to pay closer attention to the people that I most spend time with-
What is it that we have in common?
1. We are born again, evangelical Christians. Every person that I am close friends with shares my religious beliefs. Obviously, this is not a minor commonality. With religion comes similar morals, child discipline practices, beliefs about marriage, life purpose and even (hopefully) voting practices.
2. mmmm... It kind of ends there. I can think of something that makes me and my family vastly different from every friend that I have. Some friends have chosen to have big families, some friends have chosen the military lifestyle, some are married to people from other countries. Some are Limbaugh loving, rabid Republicans yet, with our common religious belief we find common ground. Do me and my people agree on everything? No. I can post something to the effect of "Amnesty for Illegal Aliens who have not broken the law" on Facebook and I will have 37 comments of disagreement (My own husband probably disagrees with me). But we have a common thread that we all are hanging on to.
Recently, I was at a party and met an Ethiopian couple there. I asked them if they could tell what tribe Esther was from. They could not. Then knowing they are believers, I asked them if she came from a city that was predominately Muslim or Orthodox Christian?
"Neither" I was told, the people there are "pagan, they worship the trees" (I am assuming they are animists). Now while I do not know for absolutely certain that Esther's family were animists, it is fair assumption. That was her people, that was her culture.
But not anymore. While Esther will always be Ethiopian, I am perfectly comfortable with the fact that in her orphaned state, we plucked her out of her original culture and gave her a new one.
It makes me chuckle a bit when I think about how Esther will learn about her Ethiopian culture...... because I plan for her to learn through the Ethiopian Evangelical Church in Aurora. The couple I met told me not to worry about the language difference (the sermon is in Amharic) because the Holy Spirit would translate it in my heart (although there is a real translator too!!!). And they told me there I will have the opportunity to learn about the persecuted Christian in Ethiopia. I would learn about the church planting in villages, and the sinking godless pit that is Addis (their words, not mine). And in reflection, it was an interesting thing for them to say to me. The persecution of Christians is an unusual topic at a party, especially if you have just met a person. But they knew that I would understand;They knew that I cared. I was their people.
Who are my people?
Followers of Jesus.
And we pray that is what Esther chooses as well.
That is a very thought-provoking perspective, with lots of applications in spiritual as well as practical ways. Thanks for making me think about what it means to be adopted, to have been plucked from a culture of godlessness and chosen to be part of a culture of life.
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