Stars & Stripes Forever

This Muko-Muko man was sporting a hat with the stars and stripes. It’s not uncommon to see pro-United States clothing on Sumatra. A worker met a Tamiang man who was over 100 years old. This man told stories about the U.S. military helping to liberate Indonesia from Japanese occupation in World War II. It’s also common to have Indonesians talk about President Obama, because of his brief time in Jakarta as a child. While terrorist propaganda paints a picture of all Muslims hating the West and especially those from the United States, the reality here is most Sumatrans have a positive view of Americans.

If a Westerner is willing to sit and talk, most Sumatrans are willing to listen. They want to know what you think. This openness does provide a unique opportunity for sharing the Gospel, especially for workers from America who have taken the time to learn Indonesian. There is almost always an open door to share if you are willing and able to take it.

Sumatrans are also willing to listen, because they think of Americans as being wealthy. There is a saying on Sumatra – There is always a shrimp behind the rock. This saying refers to hidden motives that cause people to act in a certain manner. This is one of the difficulties for American workers. It’s often difficult to tell how much of a person’s attentiveness is actual interest in what you are sharing, and how much is a hidden hope that they are going to get something out of the Westerner.

There are many layers to crossing cultures in order to share the most important story in the world. It becomes an intricate dance of give and take, and of connect and disconnect. It’s both frustrating and exhilarating. Because of all of this emotion, the work of cross-cultural witnessing is often stressful.

Pray for American workers on Sumatra to make the most of open doors to share the Gospel.

Pray for these workers to have wisdom to discern the shrimp behind the rock.

Pray for Holy Spirit power to enable these workers to handle the stress of the cross-cultural dance.