Arousing Curiosity

As much as I enjoy teaching the believers and training workers, I have been wanting to be in deeper relationship with people who are not in the family yet. I am curious to learn more about people's worldview here and what they believe in, and believe me, there are many! Having moved to our new location where our neighbors speak Nepali, we are starting to meet more people. Everyone in our apartment complex are unbelievers; many are Tibetans. There are a couple of lamas (monks) that live in the complex as well. When we first moved in, someone gave us a tour of a monastery here (just across the street from where we are) and pointed out the room in which the Dali Lama stays in when he is in town. The Tibetan presence is pretty large here.

A couple of days ago, I knocked on one of my neighbor's door, introduced myself, and shared that I am looking for places where I can practice my Nepali. Later Paul joined me, and we had a great time getting to know them. Their English is quite good as well. They speak Nepali, Hindi, and understand Bangla, but they do not speak their native tongue because they had come to India at a very young age. So, for many Tibetans here, their primary language is Nepali.

One of the things we have noticed as we've been in relationship with Hindus back in Nepal, and now as we're getting to know Tibetans is that they all have a special room designated for their daily worship and offering to their gods. Our Tibetan neighbor showed us the room, and gave a brief explanation of their rituals.

Paul and I have been in discussion about whether it might be good to turn one of our rooms into something like this. We can use it for our own meditation and prayer time, but I also wonder if it will arouse curiosity. I wonder if it will give us opportunities to share about Je'us. For the Hindus and the Buddhists, they proudly display their faith. I've been thinking about what are some of the most important and treasured symbols of Chr'stian'ty, as well as stories that can be displayed or hung as a way to help them understand the go'pel... I guess there is always room for misunderstanding, but I wonder if it will at least get people wondering and asking about Jes's. I have no idea what the believers here would think about this idea! I guess, we could call it our prayer room. But, in any case, it's something to pray and think about... Today, I'll just start by taking some banana bread I baked last night to my neighbors....