Today we went door to door inviting people to a Bible Study at our house starting in the end of January. These are people that we have been smiling at, meeting on the road, receiving and giving rides to, watching them play baseball, working alongside them on the road, watching their animals and family interactions, and wondering how we fit into this new neighborhood.
This is not a neighborhood with asphalt streets, curbs or gutters. We do have tree lined streets but that is mostly because they have used trees as fencing to delineate property and streets. The yards are either swept or unswept dirt, and most of the houses would fit into your living room. Not just dogs are in the yards, but cows, horses, pigs, chickens, roosters, rabbits, and of course cats roam at will.
Instead of oaks and firs, there are banana, plantain, jicote, mango, neem, and others I do not recognize. Most flowering plants have no trouble attracting hummingbirds, butterflies, slow flying bee/flies, and people like us who are amazed on a daily basis of the vegetation around us. We have an amazing plant that has flowers with a yellow stacked interior and white trumpets coming off the top; this seems to be a favorite for the hummingbirds.
We received a variety of responses. Most people were shy but friendly at our approach. We have learned to greet them from where their property starts rather than go to the door. We got many “yeses”, but we also know that a “yes” here can mean that “I am just being polite” or it could be a “yes, I will be there.” It might also mean “I am curious about these people and how they live.” or it could mean “I want to come to learn more about God”.
We heard several “I am too busy”, some changing the subject, some fear of us being Catholic and some fear of us being evangelical. One man told us that we should go to a community not too far away and invite them because they have no church in their community; that is something to definitely look into.
Even before we went out, I wondered if I would do this in my neighborhood in the US. I would like to say yes to that question, but I know from experience that the thought would have crossed my mind, but I would have been too afraid to actually do it. I am disappointed about that.
When I think of the responses, I think they would have been similar in the States to what we received today. Maybe fewer “yeses” and more “We will see if I can find the time.” I think the language barrier and not completely knowing the culture worked in our favor today. It took away some of the fear of the unknown. I asked Oscar, Byron, and Austin, the guys to helped us today, if they were scared to invite people, and they said, “No, we are glad to do it.” I have something to learn from these guys.
We will see the fruits of our and God’s labor on January 29th! I am excited to see the results.