This month, our ministry is hanging out and talking to people- my extravert is thriving. We are in a closed country and serving in a community that is predominantly Muslim. Coming from South Texas, I have had minimal opportunities to speak with Muslim people or learn about their faith. So, once I got to meet some of the people that we hang out with most days, I asked them about their faith and asked them to explain parts of it to me. I’ll be the first to say I was, and honestly still am, fairly ignorant when it comes to Islam but I want to learn. I want to understand because this is something that is important to my new friends. Just like I want them to understand me and my faith, I am seeking to understand theirs. What I found is that our faiths have a lot of similarities and overlap that I never realized. There are obviously very pronounced differences but still a lot of similarities. I feel like any time we enter into a new culture, we recognize the differences first, the things that confuse us or make us feel like we aren’t at home. We also do this with the people that we meet.
She wears a hijab. I leave my hair down.
He speaks 3 languages and can read a fourth. I speak English and a little bit of Spanish.
He goes to the mosque on Fridays. I got to church on Sundays.
She drives a motorbike. I use Uber.
We could go on and on about our differences, differences based on our religious beliefs or our home countries but you know what’s crazy? We have so many similarities.
She loves playing the guitar and singing with friends. She can sing much better than me but I still enjoy singing with friends.
His friends tease him just like my friends tease me.
They want to learn slang words in English. Half the time, I don’t even know what my friends are saying so I want to learn those slang words too.
They enjoy playing sports, even in the rain. I’m always excited to play sports and if I come prepared with a change of clothes, bring on the rain.
I love hanging out, laughing, and playing stupid games with my friends and so do they. We all seem to be equally terrible at Taboo- Indonesians and Americans alike.
What the Lord has done in this place is create a community where people can come together and just be themselves. If they are Muslim, they will be respected and included. If they are Christian, they will be respected and included. if they walk through our doors, they will be respected and included. Many nights, we come home from eating dinner after an event and there are tons of motorbikes parked outside our house. People want to hang out and be our friends and this month, we are here to hang out and form relationships. We are here simply to love.
And Jesus is here too.
He has allowed us to become fast friends with many people here and some awesome conversations have come out of those friendships already. I pray for the Lord to fill the hearts and minds of my new friends with curiosity. I want them to feel welcome to ask me questions. I want them to ask me what is important to me. I want to be able to share the gospel with them and tell them how much it has changed my life. Friends share what is important to them with each other. The other day, after going to a local church, I felt the Lord telling me to read 2 Timothy. In chapter 2, verses 9-10, Paul says that for the gospel, “I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.” We are in a closed country where are bound by certain rules but the word of the Lord cannot be bound by earthly rules or laws. He is moving here just as much as He is moving in other places and even though it may be difficult at times, we will remember that we are here so that others may learn about salvation that has been freely given to all who believe in Jesus.
But even if the opportunity to directly share the gospel does not present itself, I know that God is smiling down on us when we sit side by side, Christian and Muslim, hijab and headband, and simply seek to learn from and love each other.
