Today I returned from a weekend Women's conference. The key-note speaker was wonderful. She shared the story of Naomi and Ruth and the work God did in their lives. The first 74 verses of Ruth is about loss, but the last 74 work of the book is about God redeemed the loss and worked in a great way in their lives for His Glory. And she tied in how God is doing a brand-new work in each of our lives. I enjoyed her personal stories and wished that I would have been able to hear her entire testimony of God's grace and work in her life. Also, I was able to meet some new women and hear how God is at work in their lives. And spend some time with friends form the language school.
The strange thing for me is the church where the conference was held. The church structure itself was very North American in every way. It was huge! A huge steeple. Clean, crisp structure. Carpeting in the sanctuary. (I have forgotten how soft carpet can be!!!) Huge foyer. A second level. Amazing multi-media system..etc. You would think that I would have loved this taste of my home culture. I didn't. It was oh, so very strange and kind of uncomfortable ....a bit of a culture shock.
Then this morning, walking into that church for service, I was handed something I haven't seen in almost 9 months that was a bit odd for me - a bulletin. Really? Why?
To be honest, there were an array of questions and comments that came to me, but I'm not going to mention any. I think they would be misunderstood by people back in the States and only understood by missionaries or others living in a different culture.
The North American culture is no longer normal for me. And I can't help but think how strange it'll be when I return there in August for 3 weeks.
For the first time in almost 9 months, I'm actually seeing how normal my life here has become. It's normal for me to double unlock 3 doors to get to the street in front of my house. Seeing bars on windows and doors. Seeing gates with razor wire strung overtop of them. Gringo traps (basically holes - sewers w/ no bars overtop, random holes in the sidewalk, huge potholes, etc. - which would be considered a major hazard in the US). Listening to the huevos (eggs) man, as he drives up streets selling eggs. Warm weather (when it dips to about 75, I'm kind of cold). Hearing Spanish, even if I still don't understand every word.
Latino culture is my new normal and will be normal for the next few years.
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