Imagine this, living in a place where everyone you walked by greeted you with a warm genuine smile. That if there was a traffic jam, someone would volunteer themselves to direct traffic just because it was the kind thing to do. That when one gets lost a kind stranger would walk you to your destination so you don’t get lost again. Or a stranger come running up to you to hold their umbrella over you while it’s torrential raining out, just to help keep you dry. Well, that’s what it’s like living here in the country I cannot name. Those examples are everyday life here and I’ve experienced them first hand.
It really got me thinking about how in the U.S. it’s more like random acts of kindness not everyday acts of kindness. Usually, in the face of tragedy you see people come together. Why does it have to come to something bad happening in order to go above and beyond for a stranger. What would it look like taking the time to simply smile at the next stranger you see. That smile could mean they felt seen that day. When maybe they haven’t felt seen in months or even years. In turn, that smile can become a chain reaction in many different ways.
Want to know what else is crazy is this country is made up of 85% Muslim people. There’s this unspoken and sometimes spoken fear of people of this religion. When they have been the kindest group of people I’ve ever met. The definition of fear is false evidence appearing real. I encourage you to get to know someone of a different religion, get to know their culture. I promise you it’ll open your eyes to a new world. Our time here is coming to an end and I’ve truly fallen in love with the people here. This is one country that has stolen my heart and I pray one day I’ll be able to make it back. Until then, prayers for all the relationships we’ve made and for one day they get to know Christ and the love he has for them.
Love, Monica
