“Do you have anyone from Asia your church is reaching?” a missionary asked while having lunch with a pastor friend.
The pastor shook his head and said, “We have not taken a mission trip to Asia.”
“I’m talking about right here in your community.”
The pastor looked up from his lunch and asked, “Do you know where you are? This is rural South Carolina.”
The missionary then turned to their waitress and asked, “Where are you from?”
“Indonesia,” she said.
“Well, you’ve got one,” he said as he leaned down to eat his noodles at the local Chinese restaurant.
The nations are coming to us. South Carolina has seen an increase in the number of foreign-born peoples. There is a rise in the people from every nation coming to South Carolina from less than 1 percent a few decades ago to now 5 percent being foreign born. This totals about 250,000 people. Each of these peoples bring a unique worldview that is culturally different than the average South Carolinian. Many of their countries of origin predominantly practice a religion such as Buddhism, Islam, or Hinduism.
Think of the ethnic restaurants you visited this past month. Do you know the name of the family who owns it? Have you ever thought about asking them to your house to eat, since you eat at their place all the time? What about businesses that you frequent? Ask the owner where they are from. Maybe they are a teacher who has come here to help educate our children. A kind word would not be soon forgotten. Be curious about their life and culture.
It is common for a foreign-born individual who relocates to this country to never be invited into an American home. A recent college graduate from Asia returned home with a suitcase full of gifts. These were not gifts that he received while here. The gifts were sent by his parents with him in the event he was invited into someone’s home. He never opened the suitcase. We have a lot to learn about hospitality from people of other parts of the world. A lack of hospitality demonstrates a lack of compassion and care.
Do you have a friend who is not from around here? If you can’t name one, pray that God opens your eyes to see them.