WARNING: Long blog. Proceed at your own risk. Also, these are my thoughts and opinions. Not facts, just observations.
One of the most common phrases I’ve heard people say this year is, “We’re in _______!!!” Every country we’ve been to so far has been placed in the blank spot. Most often it is used as an exclamation of surprise, as if reality of where they are just hit them. Sometimes it is used as a wake-up call, to remind us where we are that God has lead us to, a place that we never expected to be and here we are.
I do not say this phrase. I am not moved by it. In fact, whenever I hear it, I think, “Yes we are. Whats the big deal?”
Here is a little background of my travel history: I have almost been to every one of the 50 states, plus Washington D.C.. I have been to several of the Canadian Provinces. I have traveled to Mexico, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, England, Ireland(Definitely to Northern Ireland, I think I flew out of Southern Ireland but I can’t remember so I’m putting them down as one), Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Thailand, and Myanmar. I think the only time in my life where I’ve been, “Oh my gosh! I’m in (blank)!!!” was every time I went to Disneyland (Its the happiest place on Earth!). Other than that, I don’t see whats so special about being in a different country.
Don’t get me wrong, I want to visit every country in the world, but it’s not surreal to me and I don’t understand why it’s such a big deal to others.
So I broke it down. What is it about travelling to a foreign nation that makes it different? The only thing that popped into my head was Culture: clothing, language, food, hand gestures, religion, music, customs, and outward appearances. When looking at these items I can see why it would definitely feel like we’re in a completely alien culture. Yet I don’t. I can feel the differences but its not enough to be surprised or have a reality check.
When I was in Thailand a thought hit me; it might seem like a foreign place, but the reason why I feel like it’s not is because it isn’t. Within a week of being in Thailand, after we just left Central America, I made the comment about how the people in Asia and their culture seem almost exactly the same as the people in Central America, even in North America. I realized how true that statement was. My teammate Jessica stated that it sounded like the beginning of a blog, but I didn’t know how to go in deeper or form my thoughts. Still don’t, sorry readers.
Let me explain to you the way each culture is similar in five different aspects: Language, Music, Food, Customs, and Clothing/Outward appearance.
Language: Now many people would tell me, “What are you talking about! They’re completely different! I mean some people click their tongue or cannot pronounce certain sounds. Even look at the written language!” This is true. At first glance they seem very different. Yet I can click my tongue; I may not add it as part of a word, but I still use it for sound effects, I can still do it. I cannot pronounce certain words, but I can be taught them. Many languages have the same sounding word with different meanings, all languages have the same sounds and vowels, just use them differently. Some languages use symbols for their alphabet while others, like western languages have letters. That’s not really a difference. If you think about it, a letter is also a symbol. We have 26 different symbols in the English alphabet, each to represent a different sound. So do Eastern languages, each symbol represents a sound, putting several together to form a word, just as in the western alphabets. Well, you might say, the languages look different. Of course; they were developed in different parts of the world but look at what each one is composed of: circles, lines, dashes, dots. We see every aspect of other languages in our own, they’re just arranged differently. There are probably many more differences, like structure and grammar, but in the end, each language has form and rules that are intelligent enough for people from other cultures to learn and speak. Each one provides a way to communicate.
Music: This one is a little easier to explain the similarities because there are so many. First off, instruments. Yes, each country has their own unique instrument such as different stringed instruments, different percussion, different winds and brass, but essential they are all the same. String instruments around the word can all be plucked and all use a bow to play (Pianos have keys, yes I know). Brass and wind instruments all use someone giving their air to produce a sound and they all have buttons or holes to get different notes (ok, trombone is a little different, they use a slide). For percussion, they’re all something you hit with some sort of mallet or you use your hand. Now to address the different styles of music. Traditional music all sounds different where you go but they all have the same basics; progression, rhythm, measures, phrases, rise and falling, crescendo and decrescendo, faster and slower, etc. Its all the same, just a different style. Its like how Country music is different than Rock music. The same but different.
Food: Now, I thought food growing up was completely different from culture to culture. I would not eat anything that didn’t look “normal,” but I also refused to eat salads so my normal was completely skewed. As I got older, I learned to appreciate food from different countries(my mom was a missionary in India for 8 years, I learned pretty fast). This year I realized all the food was essentially the same; they have their breads, their vegetables, their meat, and their dairy. In fact, it seems that countries all over the world have the same types of food: cattle, pigs, chickens, geese, lamb/goat, rice, bananas, wheat, beans, lettuce, etc. Its also true that some places have dishes that are unique to their own culture; dragon fruit, lychee, brains, crickets, dog and cat, etc. While I didn’t grow up in a culture with Lychee and Dragon fruit, they are still fruit and I technically did have access to the others. In the end, we all start with the same basic ingredients, we all cook them into roughly the same things(bread, stir-fry, etc). Its just that the way we cook them or what we choose to eat is different. In my culture we don’t eat brains, in eastern culture I have not seen authentic dish that has cheese in it, in fact, their milk comes from soybeans. To get in a little deeper, while we cook things differently, we cook in the same manner to; with oil, heat, throwing things together to make a dishes, adding spices or seasonings, making things sweet or hot, and many more.
Customs: To define the word, custom means “a group pattern of habitual activity usually transmitted from one generation to another” and “a practice so long established, it has the force of law.” A custom could be giving gifts at Christmas to women covering themselves completely with clothing and only showing the eyes in other religions. There are many different customs in the world but from what I’ve seen, they all boil down to one word: RESPECT. Respect to elders, respect to authorities, respect for a husband or wife, respect to a god or gods, respect to their heritage and past. Some examples of respect in other cultures are curtsying, handshakes, bowing to each other, and not displaying the bottom of your foot to another person. We all have different customs but the force behind it all is the same; we might not even agree with different customs, but if we interfere we would be disrespecting them.
Clothing/Outward appearance: I decided to group these two together. Clothing is simple; around the world it all similar. First and most obvious, its all made of cloth and/or animals. There are also different types of dress: clothing for younger people, clothing for older people, clothing for married people, modest clothing, revealing clothing, and for rich and for poor people. Every culture has what is acceptable for a person in a certain group or age range should wear. Younger people generally wear more fashionable flashy clothing than the older generation, I think the purpose is to attract a mate. Rich people have more special cloth and accessories to adorn themselves while poor people either dress more plainly or with replicas of the real thing. Younger people are generally more revealing than the older generation depending on your custom. Worldwide, it is more acceptable to dress modestly than revealing. Also, people look the same. Most of the time, when someone, even myself, look at another person, I can guess what part of the world they come from: Europe, Africa, Middle East, south America, Asia, etc. Yet as I travel, everyone starts to look the same. I’ve met people in Central America and Asia that remind me so much of someone I know back home by how they look, even if they’re from a different part of the world. Everyone has two eyes, ears, nostrils, hands and feet. There are ten fingers and ten toes, five on each hand and foot. We all have shoulders, knees, stomachs, necks, and heads. We all have around 32 teeth, a tongue, and hair. We all have brains and we all can communicate.
“From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth…” -Acts 17:26
So as I travel around, I see the differences, but they’re only small details. The truth is, I see humans everywhere.
Everyone I meet smiles, they laugh, they cry, they get angry, they get lost, they get hurt, they get happy, they find joy, they find beauty, they have wonder and excitement, they have pride, they work hard for their next meal, they like to communicate, they like to play, they want someone to hear their story, they want friends, they want to be left alone, they want help, they want to eat, they want to drink, they want to learn, they want to have a job, they want security, they are afraid, they have families, and they have stories.
I realized that they’re the same as me.
In fact, they’re not different than the United States. As they have to have jobs in order to survive, so does the western world, as they have to eat, so does the western world, as they fight and steal so does the western world, as they create so does the western world, as they have families so does the western world, as they have idols so does the western world, and as they need Jesus so does the western world.
“There is neither Jew for Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” -Galatians 3:28
To my readers, YOU’RE IN THE UNITED STATES!!! You’re in an extremely rich country with a lot of liberties. You can learn how to drive a car. You have the option to go to school and ways to get there and pay for it. You’re in a free country where you can talk about your Savior, Jesus Christ, without fear of being thrown in jail or shot at. You have the right to a day off, you have the right to a home. In these outward ways you have been extremely fortunate and blessed by the Lord, but inwardly, the people of the United states are just as lost and hurt as people all over the world. The people at home are no different than the people in other countries. There are murders, mass killings, suicides, poverty, human trafficking, adultery, corrupt officials, hate groups, millions of people lost and afraid looking for Jesus. Throughout the Bible we are commanded to go to all the nations to spread the Gospel. I repeat ALL. That means even at home. Jesus commands “Go!” (Mark 16:15, Acts 13:47, Psalm 96:3, Romans 10:13-15, Matthew 24:14, Luke 24:47, Revelation 14:6, 1 Chronicles 16:24, Mark 13:10, Acts 1:8, Matthew 8:19)
I repeat, YOU’RE IN THE UNITED STATES!!! You don’t have to go on a missions trip to help out a neighbor or get involved. There are people you work with every day who are experiencing the same thing as people in Myanmar. Children from the United States are being stolen and sold to sex traffickers just as they are in Thailand. A person might be contemplating killing someone or committing suicide right down the street. The mission field is on your doorstep! You don’t even have to fundraise. You have a lot more opportunities right now than I do; I travel and move around from month to month, you all can build lasting relationships and have resources at your door. You don’t have to travel to another country to feel like you are a part of something, that you’re doing something for the Lord. Matthew 7:7 states, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” All you have to do is walk next door and knock, it will be opened.
So I think, “What’s the big deal that we are in so-and-so country?” To clarify, I am extremely thankful the Lord has provided for me to travel, meet wonderful people, and see amazing miracles. However, it’s not really any different than being back at home. In the United states I can travel, meet wonderful people, and see amazing miracles if I let God work and move, if I don’t sit back at home and relax, or think, “That’s for missionaries or for the pastors.” People are the same everywhere, and their need for Jesus is the same.
As a popular tourist t-shirt in Thailand says: Same Same, but Different.
Thank you everyone for your support and prayers! My LAST DEADLINE is JULY 1ST and I am still $4170 away from being fully funded. Please prayerfully consider supporting me so I may stay on the race, either through prayer or through funds. Thank you!
Have a wonderful day and God bless!
