The Preacher

Lately I've had one of my first experiences with the effect that whiteness can have here: people believe you can get them connections into the US, and they'll use you for it.

My mama's church has a number of pastors: there's the big pastor who preaches on Sundays, and then the baby pastors who are in training. Well one named Vincent has been coming to our house a lot lately, talking to me, asking me about religion in the US (because I'm so knowledgeable!), etc. Eventually he came out and asked me to talk to pastors in the US, and ask them to bring him into the US. Apparently here you can't be a big pastor like the Sunday pastor until you've done some sort of work in the West. When he asked me, I wasn't sure what to say, because I wasn't sure what the relationship between my family and this pastor was, but I was pretty upset at the time. It's not that I don't want to help him out, but that I know he's only asking me because I'm white and American.

Later that night though, my family asked me how I felt about him asking that, and I told them that it made me a little uncomfortable and that I also didn't think I really had any legitimate church connections or US embassy/immigration connections a (a lot of people here thinks we can get them a visa or a green card, which is totally untrue!). My family then admitted that he was a pushy guy, and that they didn't 100% trust him either.

Anyway, he has been coming around a lot lately but luckily I've been away or sleeping when he has come. My mama finally told him that he shouldn't be asking me, that our program discouraged us from getting involved in this kind of thing. I wasn't around to see that so I don't know what will happen. I don't even know if I would have the guts myself to tell him off; he's a pastor! In the US, you give pastors/priests a lot of respect. According to my host family though, here it is easy to get that title and it doesn't afford you as much respect, at least until you head a church yourself.

Wow, so much to learn!