Culture Clash

To think that we have been living in San Julian for 4 months now is hard to believe. In some ways it seems like only yesterday. In other ways it seems like forever. Along the way we have experienced a wide range of emotions…joy, fear, sorrow, excitement, frustration, disappointment, hope. One of the more challenging aspects, though, is adapting to a very different culture. For me, one of the largest cultural gaps is in the thought process.

Before leaving for El Salvador I had a conversation with a dear friend who himself had been on the mission field in a foreign country for years. He told me that understanding this cultural thought gap would be a challenge for me. At the time I heard his words but I didn’t fully understand what he was trying to communicate. He said that in America we have a mind-set or attitude that we can do whatever we set our minds to do. If we have a goal to achieve or a need or a problem to solve we are confident that we can find and implement a solution. America is, after all, the home of the brave and the land of the free. It’s a country where you can rise from poverty to success if you only try hard enough and don’t give up. It’s a culture that for the most part doesn’t care where you came from as long as you know where you want to go. At least that was my experience. Here, I find a different cultural attitude. One that often says “what can I do about it – I’m only one person.” Or, “this is the way it has always been and the way it will always be.” Or, “this is just the way we do it here…don’t rock the boat.”

I drive a Mustang!

Laundry Day

Recently I was asked to teach at an all city church service on the topic of what it is like to be a missionary. The cultural experience was to be part of the discussion. But in preparing for this I had to ask myself if my own cultural thoughts were correct just because they were mine or were “American”. As a Christian, we need to ask ourselves some hard questions: What is God’s culture? What does God have to say about this or that issue? Is my thinking in line with God’s thoughts as revealed in the Bible?

Frequently when we read the scriptures we superimpose over them our own cultural belief system; often without realizing we are doing this. There is even a tendency to change or ignore what Jesus said because it is hard to understand or fit into our own culture. For example, Jesus said this to the crowds that were following him:

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple…So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:25-26, 33

As a disciple, I have been forced by these words to ask myself if I place anything or anyone above Jesus. Am I willing to renounce ALL that I have to follow Jesus? Now that, my friends, is a cultural clash!

Hear the rolling thunder!

I recently had a conversation with a Salvadoran friend and he was asking me about heaven and what it will be like. Will we eat? Will we wear clothes? Will we have work to do? These are all valid questions but they are like small planets orbiting around the sun. The center of our universe is the creator of the heavens, the Father and His Son. There will be many things to do in eternity but the primary purpose, and our greatest source of joy, will be to glorify and worship Him who made the heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water (Rev. 14:7). Later that night I was sitting up on the roof talking to the creator when a severe thunderstorm came through. Each trumpet blast of thunder rolled on for what seemed like an eternity. It was truly awe inspiring and I was reminded of the words to a hymn that includes these lines:

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder

Thy power throughout the universe displayed

 So often in my daily routine I can get so distracted by the details of life. How great it is to be reminded of the incredible love that the creator has for us. How great it is to not have our hearts troubled because He has prepared a place for us. How great it is to know that one day He will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore. How great is our God and Savior. Listen to the words that follow and dwell on His greatness.

The widow's eggs

Two copper coins and Two eggs

This incident happened over a month ago but I am just getting around to writing about it. We were visiting a church on the outskirts of Lourdes. The church is located in a very poor, rural colonia (neighborhood) in a gang-infested area. As I was talking to the pastor an old woman who looked like she could be Noah's grandmother hobbled up to the pastor and gave him a small bag. He took the bag, thanked her and gave her a traditional Salvadorian blessing. When I asked what was in the bag he explained to me that she was a widow who lived in a shack and did not have a job and inside the bag were a couple of eggs from her chickens. This was her "tithe" because she was so grateful to God for His blessings. Please understand that this was not something that was required of her by the Pastor or church. This was done totally voluntarily. I was so humbled by her grateful heart while living in a condition that is well below any level of "poverty" that an American would find outrageous. I have found that so often here it is the financially poor who are richest in contentment, gratefulness and faith. It reminded me of the story Jesus told of the poor widow who put two copper coins in the offering box. Jesus went on to tell his disciples that she gave far more than the rich because she gave of all that she had to live on. Please re-read this short story in Mark 12:38-44. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.