As I have traveled around this year, I have realized how different people and cultures can be. In the Philippines we encountered children who kept spiders as pets, we drank soda out of bags, and at the hospital they had their visitors take care of the patients more than the staff. In Cambodia, we learned that banana cake is really a banana coated in rice and boiled and has nothing to do with banana bread, that snakes and bugs are barbequed and sold on the side of the road for a snack, and that live fish take part in
pedicures. In Malaysia, everyone eats with chopsticks or their hands, any piercings or tattoos are incredibly offensive and checking lice in public is totally normal. In Thailand, I saw more ladyboys than I ever care to see again, instead of Big Brother they have Big Buddha looking over the city, you stand and salute the King before a movie, and they honk as they pass by temples to give them good luck and prevent evil spirits. In Rwanda, they put yarn in their hair, say “Praise the Lord� over 100 times in one church service and carry babies on their backs with a cloth.
In Kenya woman cannot show their knees but breast feeding in the middle of church is ok, they have camels as pets in the slums, and it’s normal to put only one liter of gas in at a time. In Tanzania, Obama is a brand name, its common to pile 30+ people into a 15 passenger van, and to have on at least 4 different cloths with contrasting patterns. In Nepal, we heard a symphony of loogie hocking at all times of the night, calves are the sexiest part of a woman’s body and therefore should be covered up, hot springs really means public bath, and you can pile just as many people on top of the bus as you can pile inside. And lastly in India, it is common for men to wear something that I have cleverly
nicknamed the diaper skirt, the left hand is incredibly offensive because it is the hand they wipe their bottoms with (without toilet paper), and staring for minutes at a time is perfectly acceptable. We look, talk, dress, eat, go to the bathroom, drive, and interact with the opposite sex different than most of the cultures we’ve experienced this year. We have traditions that don’t make any sense to them and they have traditions that don’t make any sense to us. What they consider modest usually doesn’t match up to our culture at all. A lot of times it even seems backwards to us. Now I tell you all of these differences, that by the way have become way too normal to us, to also tell you about
the common thread that binds us together. I can honestly say that I have family in 9 countries (cross your fingers for 2 more) because we all share the same Father. It doesn’t matter that they do things very differently than we do. They usually even worship differently than we do. But we are worshiping the same God and that’s what really matters. It is amazing the bond that forms because of this one thing that we have in common. Even though we don’t share the same dress, food, or even language, we share something so much greater. The family we are staying with this month is really what got me thinking about this. Rachel refers to each of us as her babies. She lost a child about 4 years ago so I know it means something extra special to her to call us that.
They don’t use utensils here in India but she carries spoons around with her so that when other people invite us into their homes to eat we have something to eat with. Yesterday I had left my camera in our taxi and we weren’t sure if I was going to be able to get it back or not. Amma got up this morning at 3 am to pray for me because she knew my camera meant a lot to me. The taxi driver brought my camera back this morning and they want to have a celebration later today. They also are planning to take us all out to dinner when Dale and Triston’s baby comes to celebrate that with me! Pastor Albert has talked and prayed with me about my career. They have both questioned all of us about our future spouses and continually ask when we will be back to visit. Asher has become a little brother to all of us…you know in the 10 year
old pest kind of way but we secretly love that about him…and because he brings us sweets whenever he gets the chance. I am so grateful to have encountered this family and to be able to say they are part of my family. Our Amma Rachel asked us today what language we think will be spoken in Heaven? English of course! It’s an interesting thought. I know in so many ways heaven is going to be a wonderful place but what a reunion I will get to have with people I have met this year that may not cross my path again until that sweet day! What language will we speak? What will we wear and eat? Will we all be the same or will we maintain our uniqueness? All I know is that I hope diaper skirts are not part of the dress code in heaven…and that it’s going to be one HUGE family reunion that I can’t wait to get to!!
“There is one body and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.� Ephesians 4:4-5
