Behind The Awkwardness: Out Of Africa
June 23rd, 2011
“This is me with my family around 1993 or 1994. My parents were planning to move to Africa to become missionaries, so for our photo for the church directory that year, we all wore authentic Kenyan Karanga shirts.”
(submitted by Joel)
mb’awkward.
lol am kenyan and i dnt even wear those,they are kitenge not karanga by the way karanga means to fry.awesome though.
Um…it’s actually “kitenge” because “karanga” means “to fry” (like meat).
Nice picture, though!
i went to church with this family,i remember this picture in the church directory,sooo awesome
I love it that the authentic Kenyan Karanga shirts look like they were authentic 80′s tye dye Kenyan Karanga shirts! Total awesomeness!
HAKUNA MATATA!!!
Of course you all wore authentic Kenyan Karanga shirts for the photo, how could you not?
There’s Rod . . . where’s Todd?
Zing!!
I love Mom’s Sally Jessy Raphael glasses.
Good catch! LOL!
I agree, going to another country to get people to change religions is kind of awkward.
Yeah I’m with ya there. Sheesh people. It’s ok if others have different beliefs than you……if we could all just accept that half the fighting in this world would stop.
Amen to that!!
Oh crap! They got to me!
That was my first thought exactly.
some missionaries do service in foreign countries. build schools and such.
Yes, what Shan said. It’s not about changing their religion, it’s about doing the things Jesus did when he was on Earth… giving resources where they are needed (food, medicine, etc) and sharing love.
Ha.
Do you believe in magic?!
FYI – I don’t know how they got me to smile so convincingly. FTR I was pretty embarrassed about the shirts.
They probably told me if I smiled big I’d get a milkshake at McDonalds afterwards. lol jk
Uh, this isn’t McDonald’s milkshake level, this is new bike stuff here. I’ll bet when you arrived in Africa wearing your authentic Kenyan Karanga shirts, the Africans were wearing Adidas shirts. Very awkward…..milkshakes for everybody!!!
new bike??? new CAR!!!!
Maybe you can’t tell but I was kindof a fat kid. At least a fat kid at heart. All it took was a promise of hamberger and milkshake for about anything.
Joel WIN! I was pretty into food myself as a kid so I can 100% relate haha.
LOL! Chris-Win!
You guys are so cute in your awkwardness it really made me smile! Milkshakes for everybody, indeed.
Well it’s a funny story of course. No, they never moved full-time because of a couple reasons I think, but mostly they were concerned about how it would affect me leaving without any friends, etc. I was an only-kid and in those days very sensitive. They were concerned I think about how moving away from all of my friends, and peers would affect me as a teenager (who already had some issues).
But we did/do maintain relationships with the Kenyan family who we were going to go with (as part of their ministry) and they are some of our closest family to this day. In fact, their son was my best man in my wedding, and he and I are on the board of that ministry (as well as my parents).
I did make it to Kenya three times for short terms trips.
Awesome photo and awesome backstory, Joel!
Yeay, Joel!
Oh Joel…..it’s not the shirts…..it’s the pained facial expressions that make this pure awkward gold! Well ok maybe the hair a little…..but mostly the expressions!
And the Sally Jessy Raphael glasses!
American/European missionaries are sometimes justly accused of trying to convert people to western culture…but many make an effort to adapt to the culture they’re ministering to, which means changing the way one dresses, eats, and (in general) lives. We may call it “going native” but it shows they don’t reject the culture, they simply hope to share our faith out of compassion. No missionaries are effective who do not love the country they go to and identify with the people…and they don’t live apart, but with them. An awkward photo, but the message is that this family was excited to experience a foreign culture, which is a good thing.
Yeay, Bob!
Amen brother! The Gospel works best when you just share the Gospel. No need to convert people to becoming westernized.
Very true! As I know from personal experience.
Well said Bob! I’m thankful we are missionaries in Ethiopia though which in my humble opinion has the most stylish “native” clothing in Africa
. I do have a version of this family photo of us in traditional dress but I hope it won’t make it into “awkward photos” LOL 
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The shirts go great with the eye glasses, I think all the Kenyans were seen wearing them as well that year.
Joel, you look overjoyed to be there!
They are way to comfortable in those shirts for it to be awkward…
Did you ever make it to AFrica?