I landed in Mexico City a little over 24 hours ago, and between my broken Spanish and the airport personnel's broken English, I managed to navigate the airport, and get in the right van to my hotel. Upon arrival, I discovered that the front desk staff only speaks Spanish, which has been interesting particularly with the complexity of my reservations--but I was able to at least check into my room, order food at the restaurant last night, cheer on the Monterrey Tigres in their win over Leon, wander down the street and find coffee this morning (very important) and do a little shopping today before the Sabbath. It turns out that some things are simply universal, such as Starbucks and Walmart.

Tonight we head to the conference and I have to chance to meet and greet the local brethren, I can tell you with no reservations that it will be so nice to be with God's people. Mexico City is huge, somewhere between 20-25 million, approximately the same population as Lagos, and the vast majority of people do not understand the way of God. The streets are not the safest, though I met a very nice Jehovah's Witness as I wandered the streets who handed me a pamphlet... like I said, some things are simply universal. You just have to constantly be aware, particularly if you can't speak the language as a situation can get out control really quickly and you have no way to defuse it. Between that and the disorientation from the lack of language, if I'm being honest, it is exhausting.

Admittedly, I did not anticipate how difficult it would be to understand the native speakers. They speak remarkably fast, and without the context clues of what we're talking about, sometimes I'm not even sure if they're talking to me or not. While I can read the language and write it very well, my listening and speaking are not as strong as I hoped in this environment, which is creating a challenge.

BUT. That challenge is important - we cannot learn if we are not pushed out of our comfort zone.

I have a newfound respect for those that come to the United States without understanding the language and enroll in school, or work to learn the language from square one. It is incredible to me how quickly a simple question, "How can I help you?" by the nice young lady offering tequila samples at Walmart can cause the deer in the headlight response as you try to index the words you know to be able to put together some sort of a response to the question that was asked - which you're not even certain was what was asked... "No, gracias... yo estaba solo buscando aldredor." (No, thank you. I was just looking around...) The deer in the headlights is real...

I really wish I had understood this concept in its entirely when I was in the classroom with my language learning students, and their difficulties in processing everything. I thought I understood. I didn't understand at all. 

Nothing shocks you quite like being dropped into a completely foreign country with limited abilities to navigate that country and its culture. I have found I don't know how to communicate entirely what I need, I don't know how to ask the questions I want to ask... I don't quite know how to express myself in the manner I am accustomed to being able to express myself, and it is challenging.

It is a good reminder of the interactions between God's Kingdom and this world through us. While the Gospel of the Kingdom of God transcends culture, and national boundaries, we as followers of God are pilgrims and sojourners in this world. We are representatives of the Kingdom of God, and have the opportunity to be in a culture that in some ways is completely foreign to us as well.

When we speak of our culture - the world doesn't understand. When we discuss our positions on abortion, LGBTQ issues, etc... people look at us like we're speaking a foreign language sometimes. When the world talks about how a fetus isn't life, or how a person can be more than one gender, or choose to be a different gender, we compare it with the culture we know to be true and see that it doesn't compute. Understanding how to communicate, learning to speak so to speak with those of a different culture is extremely important because we have been called to be in this world, yet not of it. Not allowing it to rub off on us, or to conform us to its mold, but to remain true to what we know to be true. To interact with those of this world and to learn to communicate appropriately what God's culture looks like.

It can be exhausting sometimes swimming against the current. It can be difficult. But it is important as we preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God to this world.

Feliz Sabado! Y un gran abrazo desde su hermanos y hermanas de Latin America