"...And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country- a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he had prepared a city for them." Heb. 11:13-16
The longer I am in missions the more I am an alien. Whether we are in Russia or in America, I always feel a little "out of the loop". There are some logical reasons for this and then there is the fact that no matter what, I will never fit in.
3 of my children attended public school this year. Haillie had the hardest time having to attend high school. She came home daily with new details of her foreign experience from the cursing and back talking to new things she had no clue about like prom! Things I never thought to prepare her for were amusing and sometimes sad to me. Sad to know the struggles of the American teen and that she is in the obvious minority with her stance on morality and ethics. She was definitely challenged in her balance of being bold and gracious.
Community is nice, belonging to a group is a wonderful comfort. The truth is community can sometimes be a hindrance to growth, so far our life has taught my girl to not be afraid to be different and to be true to her convictions. More challenging are those of you who fight against conforming in a world that has been "home" all your life. Not until I left my "home" in America have I ever been faced with the reality of my idols. Over the years I have been stripped of many of them, but I find that it is easy to blend, easy to get back into bad habits. So I am challenged and challenge you wherever you are to live as a foreigner in a foreign land.
"Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning;they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them." Heb.11:37-38
