Hello everyone! I’m sorry for taking forever getting this blog up. This is my third attempt, and a few things have gone on that has prevented me from writing it sooner.
Thank you to everyone who has asked questions for this. I truly appreciate it!
So…here we go!
1) I’d like to hear your comparison of the different cultures..how the people are different than Americans?
That’s a very complex question. I experienced 11 different cultures. India. Nepal. Cambodia. Thailand. Malaysia. Singapore. Botswana. South Africa. Swaziland. The Dominican Republic. Haiti.
Every culture is very different from one another. However, though people may be different culturally, fundamentally they are the same. They struggle with pride, shame, and all sorts of sin. They desire love and to be known.
If we are talking strictly cultural, I can give a few examples. In India, the sight of a woman’s ankles and armpits are VERY scandalous. Women in America can wear whatever they’d like…and sometimes that’s abused. Women are also second rate and often times babies will be murdered if they are girls. Even among the Christian families we met, they would request us to pray that they specifically had a baby boy. I can’t think of one time my team got asked to pray that they have a healthy baby in general. In America, usually, families are happy with a healthy baby in general-no matter if they are a boy or girl. Also, in India, community is huge! Neighbors are truly friends and treat one another like family. Kids would run up to hang out with us. In America, it’s rare that families are friends, and I mean good friends, with their neighbors which is sad.
In Botswana and Swaziland-men will openly go up to women and ask for their hand in marriage. They will offer an x amount of cows for marriage. And also, they will openly say what they are thinking even if it’s totally derogatory. Men in America do not just ask random women to marry them and usually they keep their bad thoughts to their selves. Also, though, Africans are warm people who are very sweet. Swaziland is one of my very favorite countries that I went to on the Race.
2) If you had to choose, which country would you move to and why?
That’s tough. I love a lot of the different countries for different reasons. Thailand for its rich culture, its beauty and..let’s be honest…their food. Nepal…for the people, the beauty, and for what the Lord did in my heart that month. For South Africa because of its beauty. However, there are two countries that truly took a piece of my heart.
Cambodia and Swaziland.
Swaziland because I fell in love working at the care point being a teacher’s aid to help two amazing superhero teachers take care of vulnerable kids.
Cambodia because the Lord did AMAZING work in my heart and I adored the ministry I was apart of.
3) What is the general view of Christianity from non believers?
In Asia, most people groups believe there are multiple ways to heaven. In most of the countries, people were either Buddhist, Hindu or Muslim. In Africa, everyone “believes” in God but, like America, the fruit is missing. Most people think that Christianity is just one path like many others.
4) Have there been any serious discussions as to “why” Christianity?
There are a couple that stick out in my mind, and all of them coming from India.
One discussion was at a park where my team mate Josh shared the gospel with an older man that came to read his fortune. He is Hindu. By the end of the conversation, he asked Josh for a Bible.
Another discussion took place in a girl’s college dorm we were invited to hang out. They asked a lot of questions about Christianity while talking about theirs. They were genuinely interested. I think about them often.
Also, there was a discussion with a Hindu priest that went in circles because he kept repeating the same thing. “There’s different paths that lead to heaven. Jesus is the same as our Holy Mother.” So on and so forth.
5) Did everyone you came in contact with welcome you “with open arms” so to speak or did you have any resistance with people in any of the countries?
Honestly, people were generally welcoming. There were snide remarks from men towards women on the squad in a few countries.
There was an instance in Haiti that we went to ask a couple of women if we could help with their laundry that they were washing in a stream, and they said we could but made fun of us the whole time. It wasn’t joking, it was out of rudeness. She may have her reasoning though.
6) When you were leaving each place were there children who clinged onto you not wanting you to go or wanting to go with you?
In Malaysia, the older girls asked us to not to leave and gave us prolonged hugs. It was honestly really hard to leave. The girls are so sweet and made time there very special.
In Nepal, there was a girl around my age that asked me when I would come back and we still keep in contact. God willing one day I would love to go back to see her!
7) What was your best spiritual encounter that you had and where was it?
There are many spiritual encounters that may sound normal that left an impact on my heart….and they were always when God used my team mates to bless me with an encouraging word or note. Words of life are so essential and helped me through this journey.
One crazy spiritual encounter I had occurred in Malaysia. My friend Hannah and I were walking back to our hostel and this man started screaming at us saying, ‘F*** you Christians!!!!!!! Get away you angels!!!!!!” This guy obviously did not know us at all…and obviously knew that we were Christians. We weren’t sharing the gospel with him…we were just walking…and he saw angels with us. That was a moment where I knew that the light of Jesus that is in both of us was shining. It was so cool!
In Nepal, we did a thing called “Ask the Lord” for one most of one day where we prayed together, asked the Holy Spirit to give us “clues” and went into the community with no money. Miracle after miracle happened that day. I saw a girl wearing a certain shirt when I prayed, and right after we prayed and went walking I saw her. It was so crazy. She was with another girl and they both were Christians and said they needed the encouragement that day! I got to meet up with them the next day! Another thing that happened was that there were a couple other clues that led us at a spot, and then Clare, my team mate, brought over a lady that speaks Swiss-German and my team mate, Jen, is originally from Germany. She got to share the gospel with her! It was so awesome! And after that, one of the clues I got was an American, and ironically the American we ran into was one of our squad mates. Their team actually was given a lot of money and they gave us some so we could get something to eat and pay for transportation back! It was incredible!!!!
8) Besides your family what did you miss the most about being home? And what food do you miss?
I missed my church family. I missed my dogs. I missed home’s comforts.
I missed Panera Bread so much I had a dream that when my parents’ picked me up from the airport I requested we go to Panera Bread….and that dream became reality when my mom picked me up! lol!
9) Does the love for the Father look different in different cultures?
They may worship with different songs, in different languages, they may even have a different church culture….but you know a Christian when you see their love and their zeal for the Lord. I believe that an honest-to-God Christian looks the same in every culture.
10) How has your love changed for Him (God) and others?
Two words-more empathy.
11) What was the biggest act of love you saw on the field? (Can be the squad or with locals.)
This is such a difficult question because I saw too many to write about.
My team mate, Sara, stayed back with me on my mom’s birthday when the rest of the team rode motorbikes even though she really wanted to. That meant a lot.
In Malaysia, my teammate, Michelle’s family spoiled us every weekend and treated us as their own family. Michelle’s parents are originally from Malaysia. I felt so much thankfulness towards them!
In Botswana there was a family that invited us to their VERY NICE home the day before Christmas Eve and had lunch for us, allowed us to swim in their pool and gave us Christmas presents.
In South Africa, my teammate Lacey’s doctors that are from South Africa hooked us up with a family that we could stay with for a week. They didn’t know us at all, and opened their home up to us. We were incredibly blessed.
And there are many, many more stories!
12) Did you have to witness about Jesus in a different way than you would here?
In some instances, yes. We had to be careful about how we witnessed in India. In Malaysia, we had to be very careful because it’s a Muslim nation.
13) Was reaching out to the people over there easier or harder than here?
Honestly, reaching out to the people here is a lot easier I believe. There isn’t as many barriers to go through.
