Some Like it Hot!

This Minangkabau woman is grinding chili peppers called cabe [cha-BEH] in a traditional market in Padang, Sumatra. It’s important to be focused on this task because you can burn your eyes if you forget and rub your eye with cabe juice on it. It is the same effect as pepper spray that the police use in the states.

Most Indonesian cooking uses some chili pepper as spice. The food here is much spicier than most American dishes. One worker describes Indonesian food as, “Food too hot to eat.” For those who enjoy chili pepper hot food, Indonesia is wonderful.

Adjusting to new foods is just one thing that bombards the senses of a new worker on Sumatra. Sights, smells, tastes, sounds all converge to overload a new worker’s internal balance. The result is called culture shock. It can be as painful as rubbing your eyes with chili juice on your hands.

Pray for workers dealing with culture shock to find their equilibrium in Jesus.

Pray for adjustments to food, language, and culture so that workers become adept at sharing the Gospel.

Pray for new workers to develop a taste for the local culture so that is not only bearable, but enjoyable to them.