So I had jokingly said that was going to get bangs many times in Asia, everyone here seems to have them. I never thought I would actually do it until I sat next to a hairdresser , named Esther, at church. A little back information on what our ministry looked like in Myanmar. We lived in the living room of a one bed room apartment with our host. Teacher Mang started his own English’s classes and his own church in the living room of this apartment. The idea of his ministry is to teach people English for cheap while building relationships to invite them to come to church on Sunday. The community that surrounded us on Sundays was like no other!! Church would always end with the yummiest home cooked meal made by the one and only Ruth!!! They all had hearts of gold, and are so passionate for the Lord. They would come over randomly throughout the week to be discipled by teacher Mang and just hang out. We also had prayer meetings every Saturday that was filled with worship and fellowship and some uno games.
Back to my story…. Esther invited us to get our hair done by her, and I had really felt like I needed to support her business and spend more time with her. I did not need a trim or anything done to my hair, so the night before going I decided ill just get bangs. Change things up. Ruth, Brooke, Kate, and I all went to get our hair done expecting it to take maybe two hours at the most. We get there and they have a whole entire meal prepared for us!!! They cooked us fried noodles, honestly the best fried noodles I have ever had. They made us coconut soup, coffee, and had chips and ice-cream for us. They were so hospitable!! On top of that Esther offered to wash our hair and give us a head/ shoulder message for free!!! Who can say no to that?!?!?!? She styled our hair, and chopped me some bangs. We had such a fun time together while everyone got their hair cut. While we were waiting for Ruths perm to set, Esthers sister took us on a walk through their neighborhood telling more about her life and Myanmar. She bought us some more snacks, and we went to her cousins house who has an adorable baby. The whole hair cut took 8 whole hours hahah we made a day of it, and God’s presence just filled the whole day. Now every time I play with my bangs or notice them I think of Esther and her hospitality and it’s just a good reminder of Myanmar and the christian community we had surrounding us even though the country itself is not.
I encourage you to go out of your box… out of your comfort zone… do things you never thought you would do. Don’t do it for yourself, do it to show love to others. Give up the tight grip we all have on our appearance, money, time, and materials. It is all temporary, and honestly everything we have is truly the Lord’s possessions. Ask the Lord in what ways you need to give up something your holding on to to to be able to support or show love to others or just learn to be more selfless. It is different and unique for everyone. Don’t feel like you have to go out and shave your head after reading this hahah. Nothing we have is truly ours to hold on to. Also if you are ever in Myanmar and you need a hair cut, give me a call I will hook you up with the best!!
