 Top Ten Things We've Learned in our First Three Months in South Asia
1.
It's all about the relationship. Time is thrown out the window.
Whether
you are visiting someone's home or trying to make a large
purchase in a department store showroom, one would be hard
pressed to find someone who is in a hurry. This is frustrating
to our “western” minds
but can also be quite refreshing at times. This culture puts a huge
emphasis on personal relationships and I know that this is the most
effective context in which to share the Gospel!
2.
Only first class hospitality.
As two of only four Americans in our city we get invited into people's
homes on a daily basis. In any home that we go into we are treated
with a glass of water, chai, and a light snack. Many times the family
we are visiting will also offer us whatever food they have available
and sometimes prepare food as we are visiting. I have even been invited
by my neighborhood press walla (guy who irons our clothes) to sit in
his only chair, have chai, and talk with him as he worked. The people
here, most of whom do not know Christ, have taught us much about servanthood.
3.
The people here are extremely resourceful.
 There is no
need for a pickup truck here in South Asia . I have seen car
windshields, hundreds of pounds of metal, full-size refrigerators
and many more random things carried on the back of a cycle rickshaw.
I have also seen a man carry a 15-foot bamboo ladder while riding
his motorcycle. People seem to take what they have and get whatever
done that they need to do without complaint. If this mindset
can be carried over to be applied to rapidly reproducing churches
even with limited resources the possibilities are endless!
4.
The store comes to you courtesy of the “wallas.”
At
all times throughout the day one can hear multiple “wallas” wondering
through the neighborhoods selling everything from fruits and vegetables
to rugs and brooms just to mention a few. We even have a “sno-cone
walla” that occasionally comes! Most everything that a family needs
can be purchased at their doorstep.
5. Animals
are everywhere here! It's like a twenty-four hour petting zoo.
It has become so commonplace to see multiple animals on a trip from
point A to point B that we hardly notice anymore. On every outing in
our city one can be guaranteed to see a street dog, a cow, an ox, and
a water buffalo at minimum. The less often sited animals are the camels,
goats, pigs, chickens, horses, and donkeys. The chickens are the only
ones in cages; all others are being put to work or roaming the streets
freely!
 6.
I t's
never lukewarm.
Just as I was getting used to the freezing cold showers in the winter,
imagining how great they would be in the summer, the weather turned
hot. With it came hot water. As it turns out, the water warms in the
sun all day and comes out fairly hot. As this reality hit me in the
shower today, I thought of how lukewarm doesn't cut it for God. I'm
going to try to let the hot (or freezing) showers remind me that I
can't be lukewarm for Him.
7.
The lights are off, but someone may still be home.
Electricity
is a luxury that not everyone here enjoys. Thankfully, we are a part
of the group that not only enjoy it, but also even have it when there
is none. Ahh, the beauty of the inverter! The inverter batteries
charge while the electricity is on and then when the electricity
goes the lights and fans stay on. Now our landlords, on the other
hand, shut everything down when the electricity goes out, making
it hard to know whether or not they‘re home.
8. There's
no such thing as personal space.
Does this really
need explanation? I ride the bus on most days and when I am lucky,
I actually get to sit down. Now don't get the wrong idea, I did not
say that I get comfortable! Sometimes the bus is so crowded that
I can neither move nor see out of the window in order to know when
to get off. Now that it is getting hotter the “sardine-like” conditions
make the bus not as much of a tempting transportation option. Despite
the tough conditions, I have found that it is a great place to pray
for people.
9. We must
celebrate every small victory.
 With the stresses of everyday life in the States, small victories
were worthy of celebration. Now in a completely different culture and
with the constant language barrier, this is even truer. The use of
a small phrase in their language or cooking yet another meal without
meat are just a couple of the small victories we have celebrated so
far.
10.
Just because He called us here, that doesn't mean He'll make life
easy.
Even though we feel as though God has shaped us for this very thing,
adjusting to life here has been difficult. Sometimes it seems that
everything, even the simplest of tasks, takes an extreme amount of
energy. It is easy to get discouraged and want to give up, but all
it takes is for us to look around and see the great need for hope to
give us God's perspective. We were placed here to be light in the darkness.
Life isn't always easy but God is good and faithful and He has a great
plan.
::Bryan and Leslie
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