Relationships - Jason

Because we are learning the language, I think we have learned in a greater way how much we as people want to be known by others. There is a something in us that makes us desire to connect. With a language barrier - that desire is huge. At first, we were very "flat" - we could only say "Hi, how are you?" "I'm fine, and you?" Now, as great as that is, saying that over and over and over again can make a person want to scream - "there is more to me than this!" So as our language has grown, our relationships have begun to grow as well. Christmas speaks of the possibility for relationship and so we thought we would share with you a few of the people who are a part of our lives here in the DR.

This is Victoria, one of our Spanish teachers. When Pam really needed a friend, Victoria stepped in inviting her to all kinds of things. If we ever speak with perfect grammar - it will be because of her hard work!

Josue is our other Spanish teacher. He is recently engaged to Mari Fe. We have lots of good theology type talks with him.











This is Sammy's teacher, Miss Seeman. The kids have such great teachers at Santiago Christian School. The boys have made a very smooth adjustment partly because of them.










Jonny takes care of our apartment building and is the day guard. He is from Haiti, so we are still learning to communicate. His Spanish has a sing-song type quality and my Spanish has a start-stop-and-crash quality. He's a Christian and is always reading his Bible.








Pastor Monteja leads the church that we go to on Sunday nights and also where we teach English. He is very patient with us and has made us feel a part of their church.










Frank was the first to be extremely patient with me. He "talked" to me for a couple of hours one night when neither of us knew how to say the days of the week in the others language. He just used his Bible to communicate - moving from one chapter and verse to another.








Frank's wife Ires has had us into their home several times. We have had a lot of first's with them - all kinds of new foods, especially fruits.











Yanet is a member of the church in the country and also an English student. She has a sense of humor and loves to sing the classic hymns of the faith.










The boys are making lots of friends no matter where they go. They speak a universal language.












Just this week, we went down to the San Pedro area to begin scouting out some villages. We hope that the Lord will use us to develop life changing relationships with people who will come to know Christ as life.

Sharing in Common - Pamela

A couple of months ago I started attending a Ladies Bible Study at the boy’s school and after the first study I came home and was telling Jason everything that we did, and I started to tear up. I thought to myself, “why am I so emotional over this?” When I looked back at Jason, he smiled, and then I laughed and cried at the same time. What in the world! As I began to continue expressing my thoughts I came to realize that I really missed the fellowship with other ladies. I missed the sharing in common. Well of course this would make sense. Ever sense we’ve been in the Dominican I have done nothing but study Spanish, I live in a house of all males, and we are the first family from our organization down here with no partners yet.

Just a little background, the Bible study has women who speak Spanish, French, English, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Creol, and German. The ladies greet each other with a hug because it is the culture here which makes it a “sister like” atmosphere. I found that going each week has nourished my soul because not only can we share spiritually together, but we can also share in things we struggle with daily. I’m amazed that even though each have a different language and cultural backgrounds when we have the same spiritual backgrounds then our fellowship has a commonality to it.

Likewise, I went to a baby shower with my Spanish teacher and again I got to experience a fun experience with 50 other ladies in this culture. I’m planning to attend a wedding shower tonight and look forward to more sharing in common with other ladies. Keep in mind the only person I know is my Spanish teacher, you would think, “how scary to go to a social and not know anyone - even the honoree!” yes it was scary at first, but I came to realize that I need to be around other ladies and as a result I have enjoyed it very much!

I’m so thankful God has brought these opportunities to me even when I didn’t know this was a huge need in my life. Yes, I really miss my Mom, sisters, Mother in-law, sister’s in-law, and my lady friends in the states, but God has truly met my needs in a very tangible way!

Thank you God!

Becoming...

We become like the people that we enjoy. On the good side, “iron sharpens iron,” (Proverbs 27:17). On the negative side, “bad company corrupts good character,” (I Corinthians 15:33). Any who have children see this in the lives of their kids. Little kids especially want to be like their parents – they wear our shoes, they want to be with us, they sometimes even say something really funny and we realize that it is the same thing we would say, but it sounds funny coming out of such a little person. We become like the people we enjoy.

I have been thinking about this idea this week as I have been reading Jeremiah. Jeremiah is sometimes called the weeping prophet. When I have read Jeremiah in the past, I always thought of it from the perspective of the people and the judgment that was coming. I thought things like: “They were evil,” “they deserved punishment,” “God continues to offer grace for genuine change of heart,” “Jeremiah has a tough job,” etc. All of these thoughts are true. But this time, I have found myself with a slightly different perspective. It is not a perspective that is contradictory, but just a different vantage point. I have been thinking about this from the perspective of what God felt. Not just what He thought or what He was doing, but how he felt. Here were people who He created to enjoy a relationship with Him and they were betraying Him. In the second chapter, God says, “Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But my people have exchanged their Glory for worthless idols.” Wow, what must that have felt like…nations who worship false gods do not change their gods, yet the nation dedicated to the true God turns from Him. For His grace, they gave him idolatry which He compares to adultery.

No wonder Jeremiah was the weeping prophet. If Jeremiah was a person who began to take on God’s values, we would expect to see expressed through him some of what God was feeling. We become like the people we enjoy.

I wonder sometimes if we as Christians are much different from our counterparts in false religions. Yes, we have a different set of truth claims, but what do we do with them? Are our prayers much different? Are our concerns much different? Or have we settled for religion in place of relationship?

The answer of course is simply to enjoy Him more. I want to be the kind of person who thinks about things and feels things the way that God thinks about them and feels them. By His grace, I find Him moving me in that direction. Gracias a Dios!

The Battle of the Mind - Pamela

Lately, I have found myself thinking negatively due to my circumstances as I adjust to culture. For example, we had to go to Moca, a nearby town close to Santiago, to get some electrical things fixed on our car. Now, in my mind I’m expecting this won’t take but a few hours and I’ll be in a nice air conditioned waiting room with magazines, TV and free coffee like we have in the States. Instead, the owner of the mechanic shop says, “oh, it could 3 or 5 hours to see what’s wrong with your car, I don’t know. “ I said, “well do you know the exact time you will begin working on our car, would you like us to go home and come back in 5 hours?” He said, “its okay you can wait by this car lift until we are done.”

Let me paint this picture for you, it was outside in the heat, we sat on plastic chairs with mosquitoes surrounding the area, two feet from the car lift. So basically we were sitting in the area where the mechanics actually do the work on the cars. The mechanics walked around us, pulling extension cords by our feet, passing tools around us etc. Needless to say, this was not what I expected nor did I want to wait 5 hours in that sort of environment. I had a serious attitude and a battle of negativity was roaring in my mind.

After 3 hours of waiting they started to work on our car. By then it was lunch time so Jason and I walked down to get some rice and beans at a nearby café. The portions were huge, Jason finished his meal, but I just couldn’t finish mine and thought I would get a “to go container”. As soon as I put my fork down this man came up from behind me and started to grab my plate. I tried to say I wasn’t done in Spanish and wanted a to go box. I didn’t realize it at the time, but he actually wanted my plate so he could eat my food. He hung out by the café in order to get leftover food from the customers. I felt so bad for the guy but then I began to think, “I can’t even relax in this restaurant without someone coming up from behind me begging for food.” It’s really common to see lots of beggars and sometimes I feel bombarded at every corner.

Anyway, after that whole experience we walked back to the mechanic to get our car. After a few more hours, we found out the mechanic would need to take 2 days to fix the car. It was necessary to then rent a car for a couple of days. Of course, the car gas gauge said empty when we rented it. "It's no problem," said the rental agent, "just bring it back empty." So after driving the car through the airport parking lot, it ran out of gas...back to the rental counter to get another car.

After the two days, we showed up at the time the car was supposed to be done and we ended up waiting an additional 3 more hours. (Through this whole process the Lord was starting to show me my negativity in my mind, so as time was passing during this process, I was battling this whole thing.)

Anyway, we finally got the car done and began to drive home. As we got closer to our house the stirring wheel started to smoke! Jason and I looked at each other and said “oh no, this can’t be good.” We made it home and the smoke stopped. As we were getting out of the car, I said to Jason, “your lights are on” so he turned it off and we went upstairs to our apartment. Jason then made a quick call to the mechanic to inform him of the situation. After the phone call the neighbor buzzed our apartment and said you left your lights on. We thought that was strange because we both knew we turned the lights off.

So Jason comes down and opens the car door and all this smoke comes bellowing out! Then he opens the hood and the engine catches on fire! On top of that the horn starts blaring and would not stop! I heard the horn and knew something was wrong and raced down the stairs. Meanwhile, Jason was yelling to the boys to throw down buckets. We were frantically throwing water on the engine to get the fire out. The fire finally went out but the horn was still blaring, by that time we had a nice big crowd of people around us. Finally, two men came over and disconnected the battery to get the horn to stop blaring!

How embarrassing! This is just plain craziness! By that time the Lord was bringing laughter in my head because I could not believe this was actually happening. He changed my negative thoughts into laughter and I thought to myself, “this could only happen in the Dominican.” I’m so thankful however that even in the midst of my circumstance the Lord is rewiring my thinking so it is not as negative. In fact, I’m so thankful the Lord has allowed me to think positively in this matter.

I started to have a thankful spirit rather than negative spirit. This is only God who could do this in my life. As I look back at that experience I'm so thankful the boys were not in the car when the fire happened. I’m glad we were at home when it occurred because our car was near a water spicket. I’m grateful we had neighbors to help us disconnect the battery to stop the horn from blaring. It’s certainly a different perspective. It’s been neat to see that in the “car fire” circumstance God has allowed me to be thankful.

I do however wonder what is next because it seems something out of the ordinary is always happening. Each circumstance is a chance for me to depend on Him fully even in my thought life. It never hurts to have a little adventure in my life; at least I’m not bored. I’m a diamond in the rough and it’s going to take a lot of chipping away at my heart and mind to continue to make me more Christ like.

Thank you God for using bad circumstances to mold my thought life!

(By the way, the car will be fine; no major damage and it is back at the mechanics where as of today they have taken all the wiring out and will be rewiring everything tomorrow.)

Created Free - Jason Hilgeman

I typically try to stay away from commenting too much on political issues. I’m not against talking about politics, and I have been described as somewhat opinionated :), but I also sometimes wonder how profitable those conversations really are. However, I am going to make an exception for this blog, because I like to talk about what I have been thinking about and politics seem to be in the news. Even here in the Dominican, most Dominicans who spend time with us eventually ask us about what we think about politics/political figures in the U.S.

I am for the free market system. The less government control the better in my opinion. I think that there are good reasons to believe that the free market system works better and that government involvement costs more and we get less on the whole.

Here’s the question though, assuming you agree… “why?” Why does this system work better? I used to always think that the reason was because man is fallen. A fallen person is motivated well by greed, I thought, and so this leads to benefits in a system where there is competition. For example, my dad likes a local tire shop. He likes that shop because he likes the owner – the owner is nice to him, jokes with him, etc. If that guy was rude and treated my dad unfairly, dad would vote with his feet and move on to a different shop. The competition has a way of making people behave differently. On the other hand, while it is usually not terrible, there is a reputation that goes with government agencies. Would you rather call your doctor or the IRS? Stand in line at Wendy's or the BMV?

So my thinking was that greed drove people to be creative and inventive and in some cases decent when they deal with customers. It was a fruit of fallen human nature. And…in the philosophy class I used to teach, I taught this view…sorry former students.

But, the more I have thought about this question, “why,” over the last couple of years, the more I have come to a different conclusion. Here’s the next question…if the free market system really does work better now, would it have also worked better pre-fall? I believe the answer to that question is “yes!” but it could not have been answered that way according to my former way of thinking.

Consider:

Genesis 1:26-28 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

From the beginning, man was designed to have authority. In fact, it looks like authority is connected to the idea of being made in the image of God. Authority is the key here…and it is the answer to our question. Who has more authority in a free market system? Who has more authority in a big government system?

What if man really has this woven into his being? What if part of being an individual image-bearer of God is exercising authority? If so, then when individual authority is taken away, what would we expect from the behavior of individuals who have been created to exercise authority? Said another way, if you are made to be a hammer and you are in a system that does not allow you to pound nails, you would begin to experience a lack of fulfillment. This lack of fulfillment would come from within, because it is the natural expression of a person made to be one thing, but operating as something else. We are meant to take personal authority – this is not just a preference, it is part of the fabric of who we are as people. Take personal authority! Further...find life in Christ and complete the picture of becoming how you were created to be.

As much as people talk in favor of bigger government, I do not believe that is what they really want. Don’t believe me? Spend some time with someone who finds themselves dependent on others for a long period of time. Do they like it? Would you? Why?

Mosquitoes...the Little Enemy - Pamela

We are going through a chronological study of the Bible with our kids and one of the three things that man was meant to do in order to bring God glory is take domain over the earth (the other two are relationships with people and relationship with God). It’s been amazing to me to even apply this with everyday situations. For example, mosquitoes are my enemy and sometimes I think God made them so man could discover a way to keep them out of the house or kill them altogether. I vote for killing them altogether because they especially love to stick their little needle nose into my skin and draw my blood. In fact we have smashed mosquito’s guts on most of our white walls.

So back to the domain idea, I was thinking to myself "how can I keep these little enemies out of my house (take domain) without closing the windows." If I closed the windows then we would “die of heat” so the windows had to remain open in order for our family to stay cool. Hmm, could I put screens on the windows, no not really because the way the windows are designed down here they are horizontal glass slats with a crank to open and close the windows.

So one night we went to a village family’s house for lunch and I noticed they had mosquito nets over their beds. I ask the wife where she got them and she said any supermarket. Idea! Hum, maybe I could put mosquito nets over my windows? I pursued this thought and then labored to cut and make mosquito screens that would fit the Dominican style of window. It’s not pretty but it worked!!

Yes! Domain over my little enemy! Now I had control over my house and those mosquitoes are not welcomed in my sanctuary! Even though this was a little thing it still brought satisfaction to use the brain God gave me and use the resources I had available to me and create a “domain atmosphere.” Yes that is exactly what God has created me to be and when I function to take domain over the earth it brings glory to God and pleasure to me. I can just imagine God sitting up in heaven having much joy watching this whole thing take place.

Gloria a Dios

Do Something or Do Nothing? -Jason

What is a Christian’s response to seeing others in need? As we drive around here in the Dominican, there are plenty of people in need. Little kids out in traffic asking for a handout, people who clean your windshield for a couple of pesos, people who have infected limbs walking/crawling/or dragging themselves around in order to get a donation. What should we do in the face of this?

In your city, when you walk by someone begging who looks like they could use something, do you feel guilty when you walk past them? How about when someone comes to your church and asks for help with the rent or with groceries, what is your church policy? What are Christians supposed to do about all this need?

I am going to take a risk here and expose my thinking on this issue. It may be that you and I disagree. Please do not take this as a personal attack towards anything you have done or have not done out of the kindness of your heart. If I am wrong, I am open to debate where it is reasonable and loving – we can agree to disagree. But you are welcome to challenge my thinking by adding a comment on this blog.

I am thinking that it is better, in general, to do nothing about the needs that are all around us. Here’s why…first, whenever government gives a handout, what does that do for people – does it help them, or does it hurt them? Could it be that in an effort to help we actually prolong the situation – we make it possible for this to be the way that someone makes a living. Second, I am not in a position to know about the person asking me for money – if I knew an organization working with that person, I would trust their judgment, but I have no connection to the person. If I really must give money, it would be better to do it through a person involved in the person’s life. Third, my definition of need is probably warped – it is definitely out of line with the majority of the world. I would say that most of the time (except in cases of genuine emergency) the best thing to do is nothing.

“How can you be so cold?” Let me tell you a story. A little girl down here is always at the same intersection – she can’t be more than four and there are three “lanes” of traffic on both sides of the road. It is very difficult to watch this little girl make an eating gesture and then reach out her hand toward our car window. Yet, we can see her mother just a little ways away waiting for both her children to get the donations. The mother knows how to work the system. Now I look at this little girl and I have to be honest – I want to smack that mother. Here is a little girl who was meant to be in relationship with God, meant to be in relationship with people and meant to take dominion over the earth using her own gifts and abilities given to her by God. Yet, she may or may not be alienated from God (I do not know), she is alienated from people, she is not taking dominion but is rather being trained by her mother to be in subjection to the world around her. What is this little girl’s path? What do I say about that path when I hand her some money? Have I helped this little girl?

“So, what should be done?” If people are to be changed, they will not be changed apart from Life. A person starts with a relationship with God. What we do then happens in the context of relationship and it encourages the other person to become someone who can invest in others using their abilities and talents – this is a changed life. In the example above, a businessman here in the Dominican could find out about this mother and offer her a job which gives her the ability to bring her kids. If she is willing, the table is set for genuine change – you can see how that would be the case. Some are not willing to work; the Bible says something to them for their own good. It has never been good for man to be alone.

In our case, we hope to build relationships with a group of people and live out this process. I do not want to see people live like this little girl. Yet I know that passing out things is not going to solve this girl’s problem, it only encourages it when it is disconnected from relationship. I want people to know Him, to experience meaningful relationships and to live out their God-given design. We trust that the Lord will continue to allow us to have these kinds of opportunities.

The problem is not the response; it is the kind of response. There are enough Christians to make an impact on our world. We will need to invest more time in people though. Who is in your world that could benefit from the Life that you have living in you?

Celebration - Jason

As we live life, we have lots of celebrations. We celebrate pregnancies, births, graduations, marriages, engagements, birthdays, Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s day, anniversary’s, New Years, Thanksgiving, and on and on. Then there are the little things – an exam passed, a game won, etc. There are lots of opportunities for celebration.

Recently, a Dominican pastor asked us to come to Sunday night service, because his 6 month old daughter was going to be dedicated. We could tell that this was important to him and so we made sure that we were there. It was pretty incredible. The father/pastor bought a cake for the congregation - it would have been a sacrifice for him to do it, but he was so happy about this opportunity. They decorated the church with balloons and streamers. The service revolved around this event. People dressed up, the baby was in a nice dress, relatives and friends were there, etc. The family stood up front and there were two witnesses with them to symbolize the agreement the parents were making before the Lord that they would do what they could to raise this child to walk with Him. It was serious, but it felt momentous.

During the singing, there was a little dancing (lots of percussion makes that easy) and then the service was over and it was time to eat the cake. This is the part that really struck me, so I am going to drag this out for a minute. What would happen at your event if it were time to eat the cake? What if the event was a church service which was supposed to start at 6PM and it was now 10PM? Most of the time, the cake is cut and there are servers there trying to make sure everyone has a piece…and there may be some frustrated folks upset about the timing.

But this was such a treat that they didn't cut the cake right away, instead they all took pictures with it. Group shots, individual shots, etc. The family even wanted a picture with our family behind the cake. All the while they were scraping frosting with their fingers and sticking it on people's faces and laughing it up. Imagine that – do adults do that?! They do this little kiss thing on the cheek here and one lady had frosting on her face and then kissed another lady – smearing frosting on her cheek. Finally, they cut the cake, laughing and joking the whole time. No rush, just enjoying the moment.

It was so much fun to watch. I was thinking about David dancing before the Lord as the ark made its way into Jerusalem. When Michal got upset with him, he said – “I will celebrate before the Lord.” For me, this experience was a reminder to celebrate before the Lord. Slow down, enjoy the event, and consider the joy that God intended for this moment. I think we Americans are at a disadvantage when it comes to this kind of celebration, because we always have so much more to do…we complain about being busy, but we like it. But does the busyness get in the way of genuine celebration? Is there an aspect of celebration that is a choice or do we believe that genuine celebration only happens when we are caught up in the moment?

Everyday Circumstances - Pamela

We’ve officially been in the Dominican a month and as I look at the time spent I feel like I could write so many different things. I’m amazed at how God has protected us and molded us in so many different ways. I think for me it’s been an uphill climb to change my way of thinking not only with how the culture works down here, but also in my every day circumstances.

For example, the Dominican has issues with the electricity and water going off at random hours. When this type of thing happens I find myself struggling inside. Sometimes I am in the middle of doing the dishes and the water goes out; other times I'm in the shower…all soapy…no water! It is so hot. When the electricity goes out, the fan, which was my lifeline to be cool, now does not function. When these types of basic things are no longer available then I tend to have attitude issues.

The things that I was so used to having in the States on a consistent basis I took for granted because it was always there to meet my need. I didn’t have to worry when I stepped in the shower that the water would turn off in the middle of being all soapy. I could wash my hands anytime all day long; I could even drink the tap water! I find it easy to become frustrated in the midst of my circumstances.

The first week we were here the electricity and water problem made me feel like I was going to cry because I was just so hot and wanted a fan to blow on me, or I just wanted to take a shower so I didn’t feel so hot and sweaty. After a month of being here I can see the Lord starting to shape my way of thinking because of my circumstances.

I found myself being more thankful. I would say in my mind “thank you God that I have this fan to blow on me, thank you God that I was able to take a complete shower, thank you God that I can have ice in my refrigerator!” My way of thinking started to shift toward what was available today that I could enjoy rather than what I didn’t have.

Many times when the electricity went off, God would send a fabulous breeze my way to simply say “I love you Pamela and I know you’re hot, here’s my way of cooling you off.” I can see that God cares about the little basic things in my life and sometimes I think to myself… “ it seems so ridiculous that these things are really bothering me,” but it is in the circumstance that things become much more clear.

The Lord is continually shaping and changing my way of thinking and when the water and electricity go off it doesn’t seem as big of deal now then it did my first couple of weeks. I’m in a continual state of being molded and shaped by my heavenly Father. May we all grow together in our walk of faith!

Stranger - Jason Hilgeman

When we are growing up, our parents tell us, “Don’t talk to strangers!” I remember being a little scared of strangers. I can’t remember the context, but it seems like we even watched videos or something that had this little phrase: “stranger danger.” In fact, I have never heard any kid say that when he grows up, he wants to be a stranger. Everyone else may be strangers, but I am not a stranger.

Living in a foreign country has given me the opportunity to think about what it means to be a stranger. Because although I never wanted to be one when I grew up, I have found that I am one right now. It has helped to illuminate some of the Biblical parallels. Consider:

Hebrews 11:13 - All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.

1 Peter 1:1 - Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,

1 Peter 1:17 - Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.

1 Peter 2:11 - Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

I don’t have to try and act like an American here in the Dominican. I am an American and it shows. Sometimes before I can even say a word… “Oh, Americano.” They know we are Americans, because we are strange.

The Lord has called us to be strangers. As I have reflected on our experience here, these are some principles I have been thinking about:

We have different values. Dominicans just value different things. Time, labor, protection from theft… For example, to buy bolts in America, I would run to Lowe’s go to the aisle, look at all kinds of bolts, I may even pick some up until I decided on the right bolts. Then I would take them to the self-scan and be out of the store fairly quickly, off to complete my task. Here, it takes work to drive, at least for me. When I get to the hardware store, I go to the counter where they have help with bolts, screws, etc. Take a number. Wait until my number is called. Then I try to describe what I need in Spanish and by playing the game Guesstures. The guy behind the counter then goes and gets what I want and offers to let me inspect all of whatever it is. I think I am probably strange in that I just tell them, “it’s OK” without much inspection. Then they write a little receipt and I am off to the cash register. At the cash register, I pay and am given three receipts which the cashier stamps “paid.” They go to the guy who is bagging what I just bought. He checks off each item and stamps all three receipts again and keeps one. Then I take the remaining two and drop one off with the guy at the door as one final check. Now back to the car and home. What would be about three minutes in the U.S. takes much longer here.

We have different priorities. As an American, I place getting things done as a high priority. It’s not that Dominicans do not want things to get done, but “mas tarde” or “mañana” are fairly common words. Relationships are important here and having them actually helps to get things done. I have been waiting for our internet to be fixed for more than three weeks with multiple attempts by a native Dominican to help. However, our friend here knew someone who works at the water company and so when we went to get our water hooked up, what we were told should take three days was accomplished in one afternoon.

We have different methods. From the first story above, you can see that the way things are done reflects an attempt to accomplish different values in different ways.

None of these things are good or bad necessarily. But it illustrates that who I am (an American) makes me strange in the Dominican Republic. I am a stranger. Something is not right about me fitting in here and it is more than just the things that I do and say, it is who I am. The truth is that I can become more and more like a Dominican, but I will never be a Dominican truly – I will always be an Americano.

With that background, meditate with me on the idea that we are to be strangers here on earth. I have been reborn – I am truly a citizen of heaven. As much as I act like an American, those values, priorities, etc. are not reflective of my true citizenship. I am in Christ and as one in Christ, the old “I” was put to death and there is now a new “I.” That new “I” is sourced in His life. These are facts. How much though do I live my life as if my American values are my values? Do I allow myself to consider that many of those values are contrary to who I now am? Have I found that Christ is my life?

To illustrate that further, His values, His priorities, His methods, etc. are based on the way things really are. So take your marriage. God has designed marriage to be a certain way. When we treat marriage that way, marriage is great. When marriage in thought, action, or intention, becomes something other than what it was created to be, it leads to hardship and heartbreak. Maybe you are struggling in your marriage though and so you determine to think the way that God thinks about marriage. The way I understand Scripture, you will still struggle. It would be like me determining that tomorrow I am going to wake up and think like a Dominican. It just won’t happen, because I am not a Dominican. The best intentions will only lead to frustration, because the problem is not in my efforts, the problem is deeper, it is who I am.

Instead, the answer is to see that Christ is now my life. Pick any area and learn from the Lord to think the way that He thinks about it. Allow Him to make the changes. Find Him to be strength. Don’t try to abide in Him, recognize that you do abide in Him. I can’t just be conformed, I must be transformed from the inside out! Trust someone who is trying to be different in a different culture…the kind of transformation that the Scripture talks about is nothing short of miraculous!