How to embrace new cultures with faith as a Christian woman who loves to travel.
I have been blessed to experience many cultures worldwide, from the Native American Reservation to the Alps of Switzerland. I’ve spent my life traveling the world and sharing the gospel. And I wouldn’t change it for anything.
So, how can you embrace new cultures with faith as a Christian woman?
Start with the basics. Love.
Love like Christ
It sounds so simple and basic. Wherever I have lived, the first thing on my mind was, “How can I love these people.” I prayed God would bring opportunities to show his love.
I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
To embrace new cultures with faith means to love those God puts along your path.
Another way you can embrace new cultures with faith is to,
Prepare mentally and spiritually.
One way you can do this is to learn about the culture you will be going to. Find out as much about their customs and cultures as you can.
Such as the religion is and the customs within that belief.
How do they dress within the context of the religion? In some religions, women dress a certain way, and if you are going to that culture, you will need to dress appropriately to fit into it. Knowing this beforehand will help you prepare mentally for your trip.
How to prepare spiritually to embrace new cultures.
- Know what you believe.
- Pray for God to give you wisdom.
- Plan to say no to things you feel uncomfortable with.
Knowing what you believe before your trip will help you. For example, I believe Christ wants to heal people, so when I go on a trip, I will pray for them to be healed.
Praying for wisdom: Sometimes, when you go to another culture, you face situations that require wisdom.
If you are going with a team, some people might be challenging. Different cultures, food, language, all these can be factors that need prayer and wisdom.
Here is probably one of the most embarrassing stories I could ever tell.
Here goes, one of my favorite places is Japan. I love it.
After the tsunami hit Japan, I went on several relief trips there.
Our team was staying in a smaller city on the coastal side. Sendai, it’s beautiful. The team was made up of half men towomen.
We arrived and stayed at a nice two-story house. Most of us would sleep on the floor. That is no problem; that is normal in Asia.
Embrace the unknown
Then, I had to embrace new cultures with faith when told we would go to the communal baths every night. This was the only place we could get cleaned up. (It was separated men and women)
So we worked all day clearing the fields of toxic waste and then went to the communal baths on the way home at night.
Now I don’t know about you, but naked in front of others is a big “NO-NO” in my Southern culture.
I mean at that point I could have counted how many times I saw my own belly button. So, communal baths were a shock to me and the rest of the Texas team.
Deal with your insecurities.
Naked, is just about as insecure as I could get, then add on to that women who are generally a size 2 and 4 looking at me. The word embarrassed isn’t strong enough for me to express my feelings the first night of going to the bathhouse.
Let me describe just how naked you are in the communal baths.
You take all your clothes off in a separate room, then walk 50 feet to stools with a shower attachment in front of huge mirrors where you look at yourself as you shower.
The point is to be clean before you get in the bath water with everyone else.
Then, you walk another 25 feet to the bath like a small pool. If you make friends, someone might come and wash your back. And another 25 feet to get to the outside pool.
This was and will always be outside of my comfort zone and culture.
Find humor and joy in difficult situations
After the third night all of us were laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. Our team was meeting women in the community and sharing moments together in the context of their culture.
God does work in mysterious ways.
On my first trip to the “Onsen”{Japanese bath house}, I met a woman and started sharing the gospel with her. On the next trip, I saw her again and kept sharing. The day before my last trip, I prayed with her and gave her a Bible. The last I heard she had joined a small community of Christians there.
This is where love, like Christ, and spiritual preparation come together.
Now this is probably the most extreme place I’ve shared the gospel. And the only time I shared while in my “Birthday suit” but I was ready because God had prepared me to share Christ love no matter where I go.
In conclusion, as you prepare to embrace new cultures with faith start with the love you have for Christ and the love he gives will shine through to all those you meet.
I would love to hear from you about any cultural experiences you have had and how it impacted your faith.
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