Food for Thought

Although having so many food restrictions that need to be followed is a pain, I still enjoy eating. Food is a fantastic way to fellowship with others. Many friendships can trace their beginning back to a meal. And we can't forget the fact that food is, simply put, yummy. Well, most of it.
Not many of you know this, but I have never been able to eat cornbread. It's not that I don't want to but that I physically can't swallow it. I'm not sure if it is the taste or texture but it doesn't matter who bakes it. I just can't get it down.
This little tid bit about my life becomes more relevant when you understand that going to Zambia - as with going anywhere - will require me to eat whatever is cooked for me - and to eat it graciously and thankfully. For example, when we were in Haiti a woman cooked a meal for us that Rob nicknamed hot dog surprise. It was something (we never asked what) with the texture of hot dogs put into a blender and then plopped into a bowl. It would have been a sign of disrespect not to eat it. And the same holds true anywhere we go. How can we show Christ's love while not eating the food that is so lovingly prepared for us?
So here comes my apprehension. The staple food in Zambia is nsima which is a cornmeal mush - but nsima is not usually eaten alone. It is served with, well, anything. I read that is can be served with caterpillars, chicken feet, cow intestines, field rat or small fish with eyes, bones and insides still in place. And those accompaniments are just for starters.
If I can't eat cornbread, a favorite of many Americans, how am I going to be able to eat cornmeal mush with intestines or fish guts? It is only by the power of God and so I ask you to begin praying that God would prepare my stomach, no, not just my stomach but the stomach of every team member so that we will be able to willingly and cheerfully eat whatever is prepared for us. And if you're lucky, we will bring a recipe or two home for you. How would you like that?