So, more about those barriers. While we were in Jordan we were in a Souk, a market, where local merchants sell their assorted handcrafts. We came to one booth where a girl, probably in her mid twenties, stood with her sister. Both were wearing Hijabs (the wrapped head covering), one was dressed in western clothes, the other dressed more traditionally. We asked her some questions about herself and what she was selling. They were selling handmade bookmarks and small pouches, one contained a small ornate Quran. The girls I was with and I admired the Quran and said we had been studying it. The girl was intrigued and asked where we were from. We told her we were Americans and that we were followers of Isa (Jesus) and we started talking about how we all believed in the One God. She took her sunglasses off and said, "You are good Americans." She had tears in her eyes and was very visibly moved.
The biggest part of breaking down barriers is simply taking the time to show people who you are and to care enough to find out who they are. Everyone wants someone to care enough to ask. Even here in our country amongst people that look like us and speak the same language, the act of truly engaging in relationship with someone in order to better understand them and they us makes all the difference. Don't you think she had a different idea about Americans having had that 10 minute interaction with us? Don't you think we had a different idea about Arabs? This scenario, I am happy to say, repeated itself many times and in many ways during our time there. Another reason why these trips are important.
I can relate this at home in a few ways. But on example sticks out, the difference here is between inviting someone to church and first inviting someone to your home to get to know them and THEN inviting them to church. What do you think?
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