This is a phrase I would often tell others when I was a little girl. I would hide behind my Dad upon meeting someone new and tell them, “Don't touch me. Don't talk to me!” Luckily this was only a short phase but I've seen how these reactions have resurfaced since I arrived in the DR. Everywhere we go, people stare. They shout, “Hey American people!” or they literally hiss at us. I was told to prepare myself for these kind of encounters but knowing that these situations would happen has not exactly made it any easier to handle. I don't like going into a restaurant and sitting down to eat pizza and having 4 high school boys stare me down as I eat. It's uncomfortable. I don't like being pointed out at the grocery store just because I'm an American. Yesterday, after our team was finished with ministry at a local high school, 3 boys came up to me and my teammate Alex and asked if they could take a picture with us. Some of the boys held up a hand sign and I was clueless as to what the symbol meant. I asked one of the male teachers and he responded, “It means victory.” Three highschool boys now feel victorious because they took a picture with me, a white girl from America. I had to laugh.
It's only been 2 ½ weeks since I've been on the race so this is all new for me and I'm learning to not let the lingered stares and hissing bother me so much. I have a feeling it's going to be a slow process but that's ok. I no longer blend in with everyone else. I stand out. People watch me. Despite how uncomfortable I may be at times, I'm thankful the Lord is revealing biblical truths through these experiences. I don't just stand out because I'm an American, I stand out because I am the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14) People don't just watch me because I'm white, they watch me because there's an inexpressible joy in my spirit. (Galatians 5:22) Christ in me, the hope of glory! (Colossians 1:27) I do not want the looks I receive to hinder me from loving well. Rather, I desire for the love of God to radiate through my smile, words, and actions. People will watch. Eyes will be drawn to me not for the fact that I have pale, white skin but because the Holy Spirit dwells in me. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there's freedom and my heart yearns for the freedom found in Christ alone to be released in and through me wherever I go.
