No, this will not be a political opinion post. When I returned from my first trip to Burundi in 2009 and I felt the normal, overwhelming feelings of culture shock, but I made a poor decision. I grew to despise my country because of our excessive materialism. It is so cliche to say, “there are starving kids in Africa!” we should care and eat all the food on our plate! I don’t even understand how me eating all the food on my plate in America will impact these starving kids, so it’s a silly thing to say, but at the same time I get the heart behind it.

I returned to a country of extreme wealth from a country of extreme poverty and if you let it, you can never be the same. You’re ruined. In 2010 when my dad traveled to Burundi with me my animosity toward America was growing and in a loving, challenging way my dad called me out on it. I probably didn’t listen much at the time, but now I’m starting to get what he was saying at a deeper level. We live in one of the richest countries in the world, yes, but we also live in one of the most free countries in the world and you cannot fully grasp the depth of what that means until you’ve experienced the opposite of freedom. Many Americans are incredibly materialistic. But we’re also one of the most philanthropic countries in the world. I can’t focus on one over the other, we’re just like any other country we have flaws and we have great attributes, but we aren’t like any other country also, we are so free. We are free to vote, we are free to choose a career, a lifestyle that we enjoy and feel is best for our families. Free to choose from MANY doctors, free to choose schooling for our kids, free to choose religion and a church we prefer. Did you know we’re one of 3 countries in the entire world that protects the right to bear arms in our Constitution? I didn’t know that until we were living here and we researched how many countries have the right to bear arms.

Whether you agree with the right to bear arms or not, the fact is you have the freedom to do so if you want and you are in the tiny minority of the world’s population with that right. This is one of many freedoms we have in America that puts us in the minority.

Being in Burundi for 4 months now has given me a different perspective. Their lives are so difficult here, and 99% of the time it is not because of their own choices. It’s the cards they were dealt so to speak. God is still God here, He is still sovereignly in control and I have to remind myself of that often. I don’t understand a lot. I used to be upset, why was I born into such a free life and these people were born into struggle, adversity, war, and poverty? Why do I get so much stuff, just because I want it and people here struggle to even get what they need?

The conversations that arise during English classes have been quite impactful for me. When you were having elections in America we had many discussions here that really helped me understand better the perspective and life of someone not from America. America has a ton of problems and I could name A LOT, but I think being here the last 4 months has really helped me be more thankful that I am an American. I’m so thankful to the men and women who have served in the military in the U.S., I’m thankful for their sacrifice and the huge sacrifices their families make. Now I say with pride that I am from America, an imperfect and very free country. Now we’re raising up 3 boys to be humbly proud of the American heritage they have, and to know the history of our great nation. We’re also learning as a family firsthand, the things that occur in other countries would never be allowed in our nation as it currently stands and that is a great gift.

I don’t really care at all if you’re democrat or republican, I don’t really care who you voted for, but I do hope that you will be thankful to be an American. It is a great country, unlike any other. For reasons you and I should be thankful for, God chose to have you and me born in that great nation.

Next week our family will teach 2 classes and celebrate Thanksgiving in the middle of the middle of Africa. There will be no turkey, there will be no pumpkin pie, but there will be 5 Americans surrounded by Africans. We will celebrate and give thanks and break bread with Burundians. We will give thanks for them and for their country, for the privilege of getting to serve alongside them and we will be thankful to be Americans.