"This is Glass." "No, that is Clay"

Living in another culture can be very challenging at times. Not only is the food, housing and language different, but, more importantly, the mindset and way of thinking are often different as well. It's that second part that is easy to forget and it's the second part that can cause the most challenges. Lately we have run into a few more of those challenges. After one meeting with some of our local workers, I sat and looked at our Ethiopian manager dumbfounded, wondering how in the world things could go the way they did. Although he is Ethiopian, he is not originally from the Langano area. He grew up just 5 hours away in Addis Ababa, but he has struggled with the same challenges over his 3 years living at Langano. He highlighted the core issue with a great metaphor. He said, “Bryan, you point to this picture frame and say this is glass. Then they say, no that is not glass that is clay. Trying to understand their way of thinking is so very hard, and that is with something so simple as a piece of glass.” He is right. Although we have been living and working in Langano for over a year, there is still so very much that we have to learn. Please pray for us as we seek to better understand our neighbors, that we may love them more effectively and share the Gospel more fully.