Tears

As many of you know, I'm a rather emotional person. I laugh--and cry--very easily. I feel things deeply and I think this is difficult for others to understand and they sometimes misinterpret what shows on the outside of me.

Recently I cried at the clinic over the suffering of a boy with tetanus. I removed myself from the presence of the patient and family, but some of the missionaries, Kenyan staff and CHWs saw me. Later, I'm sure the patient's family could see the evidence of my tears on my face when I resumed care of him.

A few days later, one of the Kenyans on our team told me she thinks I should never let the patients, their families or our staff see me crying as it might be construed as a lack of faith in God. While I appreciate her input and her attempt to help me understand her culture--I don't completely agree with her.

I need to give this a lot of thought. Would you like to weigh in? I'm particularly interested in your thoughts if you are African or have lived in Africa for some time.