Assignment: Just Be

HGTV actually educates the world about the world.  Happy families depart familiarity in order to experience a different culture.  They rent or buy, and at the end of the 30-minute program, viewers get a two-minute peak into their new lives.  Viewers leave them to blend into their new culture, but we never know how easy or how frustrating the adjustment was for that family.

We´ve traveled to other continents in the past, but our stay was always short.  The advantage of doing that was never having to deal in depth with the culture or language.  Pointing or conversational skills usually accomplished their purpose.  We went, saw, and left.

But this time, we are staying longer and discovering more language skills are necessary.  We are now obligated to know the laws for safety purposes.  Being familiar with customs, minimizes surprises!  But as we hang around longer, we notice that...
*...a dog barks ¨rats, rats, rats¨  all through the night,
*...catching a taxi is an art we´ve learned through observation,
*...vehicles have all the rights...pedestrians touch the street at their own risk,
*...buses depart a little early and always arrive late,
*...the internet is down often,
*...the altitude slows the body,
*...our Spanish is truly broken.

It´s easy for us to place the grid of our American culture over this Ecuadorian culture and then think, ¨...but there is an easier way,¨ or ...¨may we suggest...¨   We can´t though.  We were assigned to ¨Be.¨  We were not assigned to change a culture.  We have come to admire those full-time missionaries who arrive in their assigned countries to live out their calling...forever!  We are learning to adjust, to accept, to manage and to adapt.  We are realizing that we need to swallow our unsolicited suggestions and escort our opinions home each night.   We are peeling and reaching the core benefit of staying longer, which is, for here, not necessarily seeing things finished or done, but developing relationships.  

Don´t fret...Just Be...
*...just stand at the corner until it´s safe to cross the street,
*...just wait until someone asks for suggestions,
*...just learn the art of taxi-catching,
*...just accept that time schedule,
*...just hope the dog catches the ¨rat, rat, rat,¨
*...just relax...and find an internet cafe,
*...just build that relationship.

We have the privilege of staying longer and letting the culture change us!
¨Be¨-ing is not easy, HGTV!
                                                    
Keep Looking Up!   Jim and Linda