You Speak English?

Suz and I have found an endless source of amusement in discovering the cultural differences between the Brits and the Americans (I refuse to be called a Yank).  At least twice a day, we discover something else that we have different names for.  We've explained the college or university living situations, and I had to explain that tailgating involved a little more than sitting on a tailgate and eating...

But what I've felt more this week than the previous is the isolation cultural barriers can bring.  While communication is possible, really conveying how I feel and the underpinnings of what I mean is quite difficult.  I'm so very very thankful for Skype and the couple of hours my best friends and I have had to talk.  Sunday Laura and I were finally able to really catch up.  It was the afternoon in Texas and late at night here, but it felt like we were hanging out in her apartment.  College seems so long ago.

In the midst of this isolation, though, I've developed a new awe for God.  One of my new Moldovan friends, Pasha, is so honest about life and has so many questions about my life that we've had great conversations.  I think we're both constantly surprised at the situations that transverse cultures such as the difficulty of moving out for the first time (going back home for that matter), how school friendships change after graduation, and even what we are looking for in future relationships.  Translations amuse me though.  Sometimes the wording, though accurate, conveys a much more serious or intense meaning than maybe the speaker meant, and that's a funny thing to get used to.  So the thought hit me the other day that I spend a good deal of time consciously analyzing and interpreting this foreign culture that I'm living in, but God made each of these cultures.  He knows them better than any native, understanding every nuance of each one!   How incredible is that!  And how reassuring that His message (for the message of light and hope is not my own, but His message) can transcend all cultural differences, language barriers, and racial differences.    

"For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.  For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."  2 Corinthians 4:5-6

~ Redeemed