Karibu is one of the Swahili words for welcome. Swahili is one of the most commonly spoken languages throughout the continent of Africa. I will not pretend to know where exactly the language is or isn't spoken, the history of it, or even how to speak it. While I would love to learn all of those things, I currently do not know them. What I do know, however, is all the world Karibu has come to represent to me. 

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One of the countries where Swahili is somewhat commonly spoken is Uganda. During the summer of 2014, I was lucky enough to get to spend two weeks in this beautiful country. Within that two week span of time God used the Ugandan culture, land, and people to teach me a remarkable amount about His Kingdom. I would come to learn that immersing yourself into a culture so different from what you have always known can allow you to learn an awful lot about not only who you are, but also who God is.

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Uganda is an exceptionally welcoming culture. I come from Northern Minnesota which, in the grand scheme of things, isn't all that welcoming of a place. While in Uganda, everywhere I went with my travel companions, I was welcomed in a way I had never experienced. Strangers would go out of their way to welcome us to their country. These individuals knew nothing about me other than the color of my skin. They didn't know about my past, my successes or my failures, or the hurtful things I have done to others in my life. Those things didn't matter. What mattered the most was that I was welcomed into their country and felt loved and accepted. 

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I couldn't comprehend this welcoming environment I had found myself in. Where I live, strangers would rarely even smile at someone they saw on the street much less go out of their way to make them feel loved, accepted, and welcomed. This was completely outside of my paradigm. On one of the last days of our trip I was asking God about this, trying to understand it more. What he spoke to me would change my view of God and people. I felt him gently express how the way I was being welcomed in Uganda was a small picture into the way he welcomes all of us into his Kingdom. God doesn't look at our past and our baggage, then decide if he will welcome us in or even to what extent he will go to to make us feel welcome. He is constantly looking past all of our junk to welcome us with wide open arms into his Kingdom. And he doesn't just do it once, but over and over again. God is constantly saying to us you're welcome in my Kingdom or karibu. 

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This Swahili word also came to represent an invitation. I felt like it can be viewed as God welcoming us into pursuing our dreams. I truly believe God has placed specific dreams in the hearts of all of us no matter what our life circumstances are. With that, I believe he is continuously beckoning us, calling us to pursue those dreams. I believe he is whispering to each one of us to encourage us to step into a journey of dreaming with him. If you listen closely you can hear him whispering:

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"I Want to Dream With You"

"You're Welcome Dreamers"

or

"Karibu Dreamers"