This morning I was blessed to be able to spend time in the Word and in prayer with some of my teammates. We simply took time reading various passages without feeling the need to comment or interject our own opinions. Interspersed among these scriptures were times of prayer and thankfulness. What a joy it was to listen to God’s Word with my brothers in Christ! What a joy it was to simply listen without feeling the need to talk! What a joy…
Post-Trip Report # 2
One thing that my recent trip to Mexico reminded me of was the difference between various cultures. Often, we are surrounded by familiar people, food, language(s), movies, and music, among other things. But once you travel to another country (or even another region of your country), you are reminded that other cultures do things differently than you have come to expect. Traffic laws are looser; buildings look different; food is spicier. Typically, when people encounter these differences, they respond in one of two ways (or somewhere between these two extremes). They might become overly-critical of the “other.” The food is not different; it is worse. The language is not exotic; it is unintelligible.
On the other hand, many people seek to find beauty in the new experiences that other cultures provide. The people are kind and hospitable; the food is unique; the culture reflects new truths about humanity. When we come into contact with other cultures, maybe we should seek to appreciate the beauty and goodness in this different way of viewing the world. Maybe we should see other cultures as just that – different; not right, not wrong; only different. What a blessing it is that God has created diversity in this world! What a joy it is that God has given us the ability to be creative, which is the source of innumerable foods, customs, and traditions! May we, as children of the God who embraces the “other,” embrace the goodness that can be found in our worldwide neighbors.
Home
What a wonderful place to be! What other place in the world combines comfort, love, acceptance, old memories, new memories, and plenty of food. On this week in which we pause to reflect on our blessings, I am thankful for my home. And more than that, I am thankful for the people that make home truly home.
Post-Trip Report # 1
Mexico was fantastic! The city was neat, the food was great, but above all, the people were wonderful. Apparently, one of the biggest fruits of the Spirit at the church that we visited is patience, because they sure were patient with me.
The most popular phrase that the people said to me, other than “Dios le bendiga” (God bless you), was “Pocito a pocito” – “little by little.” In saying this, they meant that I was learning the language little by little. They would often say this, with a smile on their face, after I had completely butchered their language. Man, I have a long way to go!
Mexico
Oh baby, I am bound for Mexico. Lee and I are heading down to visit some of our southern neighbors on Friday, and we will return on Monday. The purpose of the trip is to encourage and teach a small congregation in Monclova, Mexico. In addition, it will be an excellent opportunity for me to improve my terrible Spanish. Please pray for the trip and for my growth in the Spanish language.
Relationships
People are wonderful. Sure, we all have our hang-ups, but in general other people have tremendous gifts, humor, insights, and wisdom to offer. As you go about your day, make sure that you make time to be with people. Listen to them, be present in their lives, care about them. Aren’t relationships many of the things that really make life worth living?
Fall Festival
This past Wednesday, our team helped out at the Friendship House’s Fall Festival. The Friendship House is a community outreach ministry where our friends and teammates – the Fletchers – work. The purpose of the Friendship House is to strengthen the sense of community in the neighborhood that surrounds them. They do this by providing programs for local children, being friendly and loving towards their neighbors, and providing opportunities for the entire neighborhood to gather for fun and fellowship. The Fall Festival fits into this last category, and I must say that it was a hit! There was games, candy, free food, air castles, and lots of people.
I find it funny, though, that Christians don’t do this sort of thing naturally. It seems to me that we should be reaching out to our neighbors, showing them the love of Christ without expecting anything in return. We should be about drawing people together, especially drawing people closer to our Lord. Often we get so rapped up in our work, our hobbies, and our churches that we forget to share Jesus with those living 30 feet away from us. Imagine what could happen if all of our homes became “friendship houses.”
