Amanda, Part 2: Forceable Hospitality

Continuing story from my dear sister in Christ and friend, Amanda, a 19 yr. old, 2 year missionary in SE Asia. Another missionary working in their initial "plant" wasn't very friendly in "sharing territory". This required their move...sad and demoralizing for two young girls trying their hardest to share Christ with the Muslim world. The first day of their move:

"Our move went surprisingly well. We loaded up all of our belongings in the back of a Tata truck and headed towards our new home.

Our desperate prayers against rain were answered, and all of our belongings arrived dry, but a little scuffed from the hour and a half long trip from S town in a back of an uncovered truck.
The workers started unloading things in no particular order into all corners of the house, and within two hours, most of our belonging were located somewhere in our new home. The big Tata truck caused quite the commotion on our small brick road.

We instantly became the talk of the neighborhood, and women and children began to arrive at our doorstep, eager to check out what was going on. (In South Asia, if a door is not locked, then that is an open invitation to check out what is on the other side. Since we were moving our stuff in, the doors were open, which many women took as a sign to come on in.) Soon, more and more women and children were showing up.

It started to be funny at the large amount of people who had come to visit. I think we had almost 30 women and children stop by. I began giving house tours to satisfy their curious and somewhat intrusive nature.

As the evening approached, we locked the gate downstairs in hope of some privacy and the chance to make some progress in the realm of unpacking. To our surprise, the doorbell kept ringing. We were perplexed as to how people were getting to our door, even though the gate downstairs was locked.

Finally, we realized they were going to the house next door, climbing onto their roof, walking over to our house, and then climbing down the stairs to our front door. Needless to say, we have been blessed with many instantaneous relationships. Our neighborhood is full of women and children eager to enter into friendships, and I am excited to see what our Father has in store for our new neighborhood.
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Hard for me to imagine the scope of cultural differences. Talk about feeling like a bug under a microscope! Later today I'll post their trip to meet potential story crafters they are desperately seeking. Young girls, just out of college, and this is their lives. Giving all. Holding nothing back. Promised nothing--except the blessing of God. And that is enough.

~Me