Shaking things up

Last week Dr. Chris approached me with a task I wasn't sure he was serious about giving to me. Fortunately or unfortunately, I said yes. He wanted to pass some of his medical school lectures off to me. Now you see why I didn't think he was serious. Oh but he was. He gave me the topic of nutritional disorders. I guess a fitting lesson plan since I came over here to work with malnourished children.

I am, of course, in no qualified position to be giving medical students lectures. Even as a public health "professional," I'm not exactly equipped for such a task. Well, I didn't really have much choice. If any of you know me well, then you know that the last thing I like to do is get up in front of people. I don't exactly get a kick out of hearing myself talk. So, this last week I prepared for the lecture while continuing this malnutrition study I'm working on (a post I'm still planning on writing very soon).

I didn't really know what to expect, except that the class was an hour and a half long and I should make it "interactive." Thankfully it was just a small group of people, about 20 students, so I was able to sit down and "lead a discussion" rather than give a straight out lecture. Trust me, a role I was willing to give up. Anyway, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and Dr. Chris enjoyed it enough to hand off another lecture for me to do next week. He wanted to hand off three of them, but I have my hands full with this malnutrition study, so I opted for one.

The last 10 minutes of class, Dr. Chris lead a discussion about the Easter season. Now let me tell you, JUTH is not a Christian university. Bringing up religion in such an overt way would be a serious "no, no" in the states. I have a lot of respect for Dr. Chris, and these 10 minutes made me respect him all the more. There were two Muslim women in the room, and they celebrated the birth of Muhammad on Wednesday (it's a national holiday here in Nigeria). He asked one of the women to explain about the holy day and why they observe it as a holiday. He then asked one of the Christian students to talk about and explain the holiday of Easter and it's importance.

It was this perfect interaction between two religions, both learning from the other, gaining wisdom on what it means to remember our faith and honor our God(s). I've never seen religions live so peacefully together as I did in that moment. It was truly a beautiful thing. Dr. Chris, even though an avid Christian, shows so much respect and honor to the Muslim community. He looks for unity and common ground, and he speaks to the heart of what brings us to faith. He seamlessly breaks down the barriers and tensions between many religions, and he gets people to listen. Truly a gift.

Comments

[leslie boehm]

Stephen, I am blown away by your passion, compassion, perseverance, intellect, maturity. And I echo Gretchen's words. Thank you for sharing your journey.

[gretchen]

lecturing...wow! i have no doubt you did a wonderful job, you have a natural gift and ability to speek with people, me on the other hand i would have been shaking like a leaf. who knew that going to africa would hold such experiences like sewing and public speaking. i am as always so proud of you!
gigi