Culture Talk

Once a month we have a culture discussion and last night was my first. We talked about culture and Christianity and what to do when something in the culture goes against how the Lord calls us to live our life. We talked about lot of things that I never thought of before. The people here sometimes have what is called an underground culture. They hide things that they think others might condemn or laugh at. They especially hide things from us because they know that our beliefs and ways of living are very different from theirs. A question was raised as to how this should be addressed in the church. Many of the missionaries right now feel that many people do not feel like they can open up and be honest as to how they live and want to live. Men who have many wives or people that believe in witch doctors do not feel welcome in the church. These are such hard topics to deal with, especially since we are not of the culture here. Please pray for the elders of the churches that have been planted here and that God would give them wisdom as to how to reach out to more people without judging the way that they live. Please also pray that when people do come to church and except Christ that the Spirit would move in them and would guide them as to how one should live a life that follows the Lord. Also pray that we as missionaries would not be biased of our own culture and that God would help us to understand the culture here and the purpose He has for it.
My eyes have been open to so many new things here. There is definitely a spiritual battle going on. The Lord is my strength each day and He guides my steps. I hope that you received my brief update and the pictures from my camping adventure.
I know that the Lord is working in all of your lives and I would love to here what He has been doing. I send my love.

Kim