I have never thought of myself as particularly smart or rich, but I have noticed that as a white person in the Philippines, I am perceived that way. When I did some construction work with some men at Gentle Hands, I was asked some seemingly ridiculous questions, but it just showed the misconceptions we sometimes have about another culture.
When I pick up a tool or a board and try to help, they try to stop me. I’m not doing anything I wouldn’t do at home, but they don’t understand that. They think that their work is beneath me, and as a white person I could do anything, but I shouldn’t have to work that hard. I’ve been trying to break the mold of how they perceive me and white people as a whole. I’m working, sweeping, running errands – grunt work – and it’s not what they ever expected I would do.
When I told the men I was going to school, they first thing they asked me was if I went to Harvard. They automatically assumed I was brilliant just because was white. And when I told them what I was studying to be (a preacher), they were even more surprised. They were shocked that I would consider choosing a career that involved so much servitude. Talking with them about my school and career choice opened doors to share the gospel with them. It really helped that the other side of the memory verses we were given is written in Tagalog. I was able to show them and walk them through the verses because they were written in a language they understood. Broken English was enough to clarify the meanings or some questions they had.
God has taught me that there are so many things to consider about people when we go into another culture to witness. While we may spend so much time thinking about the right location to go to, the right way to eat food there, or even the right way to greet people, we may be overlooking some other important factors as well. How are we perceived there? They have a somewhat skewed view of believers, but we often don’t understand the lost. And when we are trying to reach them, we have to be aware that sometimes the barriers we must overcome may not even be spiritual; it could be skin, language, reputation, or any other thing. They more aware we are, the more effective we can be at winning souls for the kingdom. And that’s why we came, right?
-Cory