The world became a much bigger place for me when I went on my first international mission trip. It wasn’t to any exotic beach, island or some resort destination. It was to an area of the world where indoor plumbing and air conditioning are a luxury. Electricity would flicker throughout the day and the call to prayer could be heard everywhere at certain times of the day. There were sites and sounds of things I had never experienced. Language barriers made communication difficult but not impossible. I learned about cultures different from mine. I also learned that a smile and a hug is universal no matter the place.
But I was a foreigner in a “world” that was not my own. I learned that my world was not better and theirs was not worse, just different. I learned to embrace the customs of those I was visiting. I learned a hospitality I had never experienced before.
I came back to my “world” a much different person with a respect and compassion towards those in my own community who may feel like foreigners in mine.
I see the world much different today than I did those 9 years ago and I am grateful for the subsequent and future opportunities.
I love how you are sharing the reality of entering the world of another. Well done. I grew up on the mission field and loved that world. Not everyone sees as clearly as you have done.