I have come to learn there are some things one cannot fully comprehend and subsequently be transformed without being doused in the middle of experience; hearing and seeing with one’s own eyes can be scary, but it is definitely worth the risk to be totally immersed in a situation, a situation that is 100% out of one’s own comfort zone.
1. When we are outside of our own comfort zone, we tend to spend more time with God than ever before.
2. As a result, God will comfort us, and if we are open to it, He will show us many wonderful things. This reminds me of Jeremiah 33:3: “Call to me and I will answer you and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (NRSV)
A few weeks ago I was on a business trip outside of the borders of the USA. Now this was the first time I had ever been on the other side of the American borders. The company for whom I work is in the process of implementing a new computer system in one of our plants in South America. The plant I visited on this particular tip has been running with our computer system for the past seven years. Because of the language barrier and because two people from the plant I visited are relocating to the other South American plant, it was decided for all parties involved in this project to have a week long workshop at the plant I was visiting.
For me this was simply a business trip, but God definitely had other plans for me aside from the business meetings over the course of the week.
As mentioned earlier about one’s desire to draw closer to God when we are outside of our comfort zone, being outside of the American borders was definitely outside of my comfort zone especially since I did not understand the language and because of the drug cartels and criminal activity. We were told only to drink bottled water and not eat anything raw because of bacteria our bodies are not accustomed to. Needless to say I left the USA with all kinds of fears. I found myself in daily prayer and Bible study every evening asking God for His protection and mercy.
Before this trip I had a very strong view regarding illegal aliens living in our country. Simply put, I felt all people who were inside our country illegally should absolutely be sent home. To me it was simply black and white; either the people enter America legally or be sent back to their home land.
I had not been outside the American borders two days when God humbled me and gave me a new set of eyes to see the people of the country I was visiting differently. Although I already knew a hand full of the people of the plant we were visiting, my perception of their work ethics could not have been further from reality. I discovered their ability and willingness to learn and teach themselves about our manufacturing system and processes and to be very happy to have their job with little pay. They were genuinely happy to be working for the company and were so excited to learn. Now I find this to be completely opposite of the sentiments of Americans who expect everything to be done for them. This is where God humbled me.
The realization that we, Americans, are so greatly blessed and we take that for granted every day. We, Americans, can go to most any place without fear of being harmed and without seeing policemen carrying guns/rifles in every public place we may go. In the country I visited, even the restaurants provided a security detail for our group when we went out to dinner one evening. For the most part, American drivers obey red lights and stop signs, but in this country the red lights and stop signs were treated as suggestion to stop. It was every man for himself, and the first bumper to get into an intersection was the first vehicle to get through the traffic nightmare.
Over the course of the week, I saw how excited the people from our other two plants to hear all they could about our computer systems. This type of mentality is rare in American businesses.
For the first time, I saw the foreign nationals as human beings rather than “the people of a certain country”. I had placed a label on them and simply viewed them as being on the outside of our borders. This trip broke that barrier for me because I saw these hard working people as humans, not a label, who equally deserve to have jobs, raise their children, and to have the same freedom as we Americans do. I came to call them my friends. They were so very polite and truly appreciative of the help we offered.
With the humility that only God could provide, I found a transformation taking place in my heart. Now, I think the illegal aliens who come into this country to work and earn a living should be allowed to stay here. The political issues surrounding our borders seem to carry less weight now than before. Yes, I believe those who are trying to smuggle drugs into our country should be stopped, but for the many who want to simply come into America to work and achieve some bit of normalcy for their families should be allowed into our country.
I left this other country wanting to stay and help the workers in our plant learn all they could. I left with the full understanding of the blessings we Americans have each and every day. I left this other country realizing that Americans are all about me, me, me. I left feeling guilty about the stereotype I had placed on others who are not American.
With God’s help I left this country with a new set of eyes through which I can see more clearly.
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