I love the Aha! moments that God reveals to me. A couple of years ago, several of our church members became involved in the lives of the Bhutanese refugees that have been located in Abilene. Our church showed a video this morning of the path that was taken that brought this group to our country and the little town of Abilene. Bhutanese that were kicked out of the land they grew up in and were refused entry into the land they originated. Over the course of many years, they found their way to the states. These are people that were doctors, teachers, and businessmen until a new regime. To watch the changes they are willing to make in their lives to survive as a family is amazing. They are learning English. They are depending upon others. They are taking jobs that many of us would think were beneath us.
I bring this up because of the opportunities so many of have and take for granted. The opportunities to learn from others and their cultures. The opportunity to lead in ways we never thought we would.
4 comments:
Isn't it amazing what we can learn from other people's trials. I think this goes back to Kemp's class when we discussed accepting each other and respecting each other. We have to look below the surface to truly understand each other. Looking on the surface would have meant that 'we' would have missed an opportunity to meet such amazing people......
We have a large Laoian/Chin/Burmese/Karen congregation at our church-they are our International congregation. They are very intelligent, and skilled. It is so fun to speak to them. One of their children is 'MR' and is learning sign language to be able to communicate to the English speaking teacher at school. They asked me to teach the parents SL- it's kinda funny, since I (the interpreter needs an interpreter herself to be able to communicate with the parents-lol) I love our International brothers and sisters in Christ!
How small and stifled our souls would be without the gift of "others" different from ourselves who teach us about life. I am reminded of the scripture that tells us not to be forgetful to entertain strangers, because sometimes they are angels sent by God.
We can learn something from everyone we meet, but we have to be open to this learning. Because I have spent so much of my life moving from place to place, I have had the great privilege of meeting many different people from all over the world. As a lifelong learner, I am committed to learning and growing from these interactions and relationships. It is so important to see the world through another lens, and be open to what that picture might look like.
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