My Citizenship is in Heaven

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
Philippians 3:20-21

If there were one thing I could change on my passport it actually wouldn't be the photo, even though I wish I would have been allowed to smile. :)
I wish it would say somewhere -- and preferably in large, bold letters -- that Katie Dinwiddie is a citizen of Heaven. Anywhere else I am a stranger.

Malawi has been a good reminder that I am indeed a stranger.

One step into a village or market and it's just as if the circus has come to town.
The other week ago my housemate and I were driving our gardener to his hut. When we arrived to his village, a ton of children surrounded our car all saying, "Azungu, azungu, azungu!" (Translation: White people, white people, white people!) They followed us all the way to the hut, repeating this again and again. At some point I decided to have a little fun, and when another "Azungu" came out of their mouths I jerked around, laughed, pointed at myself, and said "Mzungu" (singular form). They laughed and laughed. I'm not sure if it's because they weren't expecting it, or if it's because I sounded funny when I said something in Chichewa. . . or, maybe they were laughing at me for the same reason my "Malawian mother" was -- and I never found out why.

Some of the kids asked one of my friends here if they could see her belly, thinking that since "Azungu" are so pale, they would be able to see our intestines through our skin. :)

And then there was the day I pulled into the petrol station and handed the worker kwacha (Malawi currency) to fill the car and he looks at me like I'm crazy -- "We're out of petrol. I can't fill your car." I guess petrol shortages sometimes happen here? I didn't know. . . and I still don't understand why there are so many different reasons people give when I ask why there is no petrol! Did the president really use it all to fuel his private jet like the newspapers said, or is there a more believable explanation?

And then there was the time while I was teaching math that I discovered that California's thunder is indeed fake. As real thunder cracked the African sky I was a stranger to that, too. My students laughed and laughed at the look on my face while I tried to process what I was hearing: "Miss Dinwiddie, we're not getting attacked. You must be one of those teachers from San Diego. This is just thunder." It was. . . and it was a great opportunity to talk about how even if we were under attack we still would have hope in Jesus, our Righteousness!

Oh, I have more -- you'd better believe it. . . but I think you get the picture.

I'm a stranger. And, since school is out for holidays and I have had a lot of time to spend thinking about it, I've felt a wave of homesickness.

But this is a good wake-up call! These are feelings that should be familiar to me living on earth as a citizen of heaven. People not understanding me and laughing at me -- not necessarily because of culture, but rather because God hasn't chosen yet to shine in their hearts to give the light of the knowledge of His glory in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4:6) -- so yes, I do seem foolish to them. My lack of understanding -- not necessarily in cultural matters, but spiritual things: now I see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known (1 Cor 13:12). Homesickness -- longing to be with my Heavenly Father in the new Jerusalem. . . .

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." (Revelation 21:2-4)

Lord, because of Jesus I'm a citizen of heaven, so help me to seek the things that are above, where he is. Help me to set my mind on things that are above, and not on things that are on earth. (Colossians 3:1-2)