“How do you like Kyrgyzstan?”
“What did you know about Kyrgyzstan before you came here?”
These are the first two questions every Kyrgyz person asks when they meet a new traveler. Common answers:
“Kyrgyzstan is beautiful, and the people are very friendly!”
(Honest answer) “Before I came here I had never heard of Kyrgyzstan…”
Kyrgyzstan is a former Soviet State, located in central Asia, which would provide one of the busiest and most fruitful months of this year. All 3 of the teams had hosts this month, which provided great opportunity for relationship building and outreach throughout the country. One team headed south to Osh, the second largest city in Kyrgyzstan. Another team headed east to Karakul, a smaller town near the Issyk-Kul Lake. The third team was in the capitol city of Bishkek. This is the team I would spend the month with.
Most of our month would be spent teaching English classes at local Universities. The idea is to provide a beneficial service (teaching English) while building relationships with students with the hope of sharing our faith during outside conversation. In Kyrgyzstan it is illegal for foreigners to preach the gospel or try to convert someone to Christianity. Fortunately, “conversion” is not our goal. That sounds strange to say about a Christian mission trip…but it is the truth, and it is something I did not fully understand 9 months ago.
In the last month I have met a few people with differing opinions about what it means to be a Christian. The first was a fellow believer. Having heard my testimony of knowing Jesus from a very young age, he asked, “So if you became a Christian at 5 years old, does that mean you got your tattoos when you were 4? You know that the Bible says for us not to mark our bodies, right?” He got a good laugh when I responded with, “yeah I know that verse, Leviticus 19:28. You might also notice that Leviticus 19:27 says, ‘Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard’.”
Ok so that may have been a smart aleck remark on my part, but he understood my point and we were able to laugh at our differences in opinion.
He was not alone in his assumptions. While spending time with a local youth group I was asked to share a little bit about my past life… the translator laughed and told me that the general consensus was that since I have tattoos I also have a criminal history.
Another group of people that I met had a VERY different understanding of what it meant to be a Christian. While teaching an English class at a technical university in Bishkek, my friend Jacob and I opened up the floor for questions. One student asked, again through a translator, if we were Christians. When we replied yes he looked puzzled and said he expected that we would be off drinking, smoking, and taking home random women, not here helping them. Among many Muslim nations, the assumption is that to be Christian is to be American, and to be American is to be exactly what is shown in movies and television. I was even asked once if we all carry guns and can just shoot someone if we disagree with them.
The majority of Muslim cultures, and Eastern cultures in general are very conservative. To them, the term Christian automatically stems thoughts of violence, partying, and loose living. Why would they convert to Christianity and embrace the sin filled lifestyle they see on TV?
Interestingly enough, the same student asked a follow up question, “Are you afraid of us because we are Muslim?” I guess he recognized that stereotyping works both ways. Having met countless Muslim families whose kindness and hospitality would put many Christians to shame, we replied, “no, not at all!” And we were then able to have a quick, light conversation about our similarities and differences.
A few questions that these conversations sparked for me:
What does it truly mean to be a Christian?
Are we really that different from the rest of the world?
Is my everyday life a testimony to the relationship I have with Jesus Christ?
How has my perception of other religions shaped my feelings towards people? How has that changed?
How might others’ perception of me shape the way they view Christianity?
Is the way I live my life having an eternal impact on the people I meet?
Here is what I have swirling around in my head. There are people all over this world who believe in God, who serve God, seek truth, and do good works who are not Christians. Are these people doomed to hell because I did not have a good enough argument to convince them that my religion is right and theirs is wrong?
Ephesians 2:8 reminds Christians that, “…it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Instead of believing that we are better because we are Christians, we should recognize that the hope we have is not based on any actions of our own.
Instead of living in fear of each other, what if we chose to love each other and learn from each other?
In John 13:34-35 Jesus says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
I noticed here that Jesus did not say, “They will know you are my disciples by your ability to prove them wrong,” or, “…by your convincing speeches,” or, “…by your great works,” or, “…by your lack of tattoos,” or, “…by your ability to produce miracles.”
Just Love one another. This is something that can set us apart, if we choose it. Love is something that people can see, feel, and desire. If we live our lives in a way that reflects the love of God, and treat others (Christian and non-Christian alike) with love, respect, and honor, people will notice.
I have learned a great deal from wonderful people I have met in these nations, and I feel that I have a very different understanding of life outside of my American bubble. My hope is that I can live in such a way that people will question preconceived notions of what it means to be a Christian, and will want to know more about the grace I have received through faith in Jesus Christ.
