unity in diversity

Stirrings began when Pastor Thabiti began speaking to us frankly and with throbbing rawness in the aftermath of Mike Brown's death in Ferguson. He urged us in the covenant body to bear with one another and part of that means understanding each other. He called us to the table to ask questions--even ones that seem awkward--and encourage honesty in sharing our stories, experiences, and backgrounds. He also helped me recognize that my place in the majority has led to privilege and access in ways that others are denied. He helped me recognize that my culture isn't THE culture, but the majority one. Others on the outside of it walk through it quite differently, I began to see.

Currently in my work at Georgetown, I am surrounded by minorities. Many are from other countries themselves, and America is a foreign place in nearly every sense of the word. Many others, though, grew up here, yet they had a part of them in two cultures-- one at home and another in the rest of their lives, and they're still navigating the challenges that presents. Alex and I talk about the surprise of God allowing us into the Asian world of students on campus, a particular niche I don't think we were looking to dive into. But here we are, these are the students that we do life with, and I am leaning into all that this means. Understanding is critical to establishing trust and care, but understanding is harder to reach when you're coming from very different places or experiences.