The missionaries featured in this article serve in a closed-access country. While you can't know our missionaries' names or see personal pictures of where they serve like other missionaries, we are glad to share their story of how God is working through their lives. We ask that you pray for them, their family, and for the people God has placed on their heart.
“Just go for it. Do the big party. You won’t regret it.”
The local culture where we serve puts a big emphasis on arrivals and departures, often having parties or ceremonies to celebrate. Mary's* parents had been visiting us and the last thing we wanted was the appearance of failing to honor our parents! So, the party planning began. Thankfully, our closest local friends were determined to make it a success.
As the guest list grew, so did the number of animals needed to ensure there was enough meat. We gathered a handful of “hooyoo’s” (mothers) from the community and went to the market to get the needed supplies. The amount of onions alone that we purchased was shocking… like the size of a large sack of potatoes. The large cooking pots couldn't even fit in the back of our car.
The next morning there was knocking on the gate at sunrise and we started cooking.
A feast followed and around forty-five guests came to our home and ate their fill. This included many of the community elders and sheikhs as well as our personal friends, teachers, and co-workers. They got up and honored our parents, as well as our family, with speeches and kind words. It felt like a wedding feast! Both Alex* and Daniel* were able to stand and honor the community. Alex shared on the subject of love, explaining that to love someone is a decision that entails sacrifice. Sound familiar?
As one of the local elders was leaving, he said with a smile on his face, in the best halting English he could muster: “We will never forget this day.”
Later on, many of our closest friends returned to play games, listen to Daniel play guitar, and eat more food. Although our reception in this town has been wonderful, the sense of acceptance we felt on that day was unmatched by any prior experiences.
We don’t regret having the big party.
“Now, you are known.”
A local believing mentor shared this statement as he described the greater effect of our celebration. We live in a collectivist culture — a stark contrast to our Western individualist cultures. Where we serve, you are not seen as an individual, but a representative of a family. They have no way to understand a person removed from their family or community; it just doesn’t make sense. By meeting our family, we received an identity. As we sat with three generations of our family in the same room, we were made “real” to them.
*Names have been changed for security.
Ways to Pray:
Please pray for the ripples of this event in our community. Pray that it would open more doors, break down barriers of culture, and provide a platform for us to continue sharing truth.