Simply Mobilizing Canada

Living a Life on Mission with God

 
card image
5 Prayer Points for Lunar New Year
Every year, an estimated 2 billion people around the world celebrate Lunar New Year, which marks the beginning of...
card image
5 Prayer Points for Lunar New Year
Every year, an estimated 2 billion people around the world celebrate Lunar New Year, which marks the beginning of the n...
card image
Lunar New Year: How Should Christians Celebrate
How should faith impact our celebrations of Lunar New Year as followers of Jesus? Alfred Chui expands on the mean...
card image
Lunar New Year: How Should Christians Celebrate
How should faith impact our celebrations of Lunar New Year as followers of Jesus? Alfred Chui expands on the meaning & ...
card image
10 Ways to Pray for Diaspora in Canada
Diaspora are those people who have dispersed or spread from their original homeland. By that definition, most of ...
card image
10 Ways to Pray for Diaspora in Canada
Diaspora are those people who have dispersed or spread from their original homeland. By that definition, most of us liv...

Explore all Simply Mobilizing Canada articles


A Vanilla Life: 5 Questions to Consider as you Build Cross-Cultural Friendships


 

My phone chirps.

Another text with a video from my friend.

I watch the video with confusion… I don’t understand what it's about or why she sent it to me--but I LOVE that she did!

She’s reaching out to me…trying to be a friend. I wonder what things I do that confuse her? We’re learning together—she newly arrived from the Middle East; me a lifelong Canadian.

A ‘Vanilla’ Life

This newly developing friendship is unexpected given my ‘vanilla’ life growing up. ‘Vanilla’ describes most of my childhood: Food was predictable, community was homogenous, and the exotic or unusual was reserved for travelogue shows on TV.

Vanilla was my ice cream flavor of choice. It was safe, predictable, and delicious. All those other flavors might not be as good…and risking ice cream disappointment seemed unimaginable to me. It wasn’t until my teens that I discovered the delights of Mint Chocolate Chip, Maple Walnut, and other wonderful flavours.

Back to my friend. She’s similar in age to me, married, with children and she likes gardening. But that’s where the obvious similarities end.

Her life experience couldn’t be more different than mine.

  • She’s eastern; I’m western.
  • She has fled war; I have lived in peace.
  • She is dependent on the kindness of strangers; I live in comfort and security.
  • She is Muslim; I am Christian.

Her life has been a different ‘flavour’ than mine.

Trying new flavors of ice cream is pretty straightforward. Friendship across these huge cultural differences is harder.

5 Questions to Ask when Building a Cross-Cultural Friendship.

So, here are 5 questions to ask and answer when building cross-cultural friendship.

1.Will I make space in my life to develop the friendship?

Friendship takes time. It isn’t enough to drop a bag of groceries at the door or say a quick hello.

Depth of friendship is directly related to time invested. Drink tea together. Go for walks. Chat. Do nothing in particular but do it together. Time is precious.

Invest time in growing friendship.

2.Will I level the table?

My friend is at a seeming disadvantage. She is in my culture, learning my language, navigating my community.

  • I know things--she doesn’t.
  • I am the teacher; she is the student.
  • I have things—she doesn’t.
  • I am the benefactor; she is the recipient.

True.  But wait…check that attitude. Friendship cannot develop when one is superior and the other is inferior.

Level the relationship table; sit together in honest conversation—as equals. Expect to learn and be surprised by a different perspective.

Enjoy the give and take of true friendship.

3.Will I learn the art of asking questions?

Some of the things my friend does seem odd to me. I don’t understand what’s going on.

Confusion and misunderstanding are an opportunity--either to make assumptions that are probably wrong, or to ask questions that build understanding and friendship.

An honest question asked with humble curiosity can lead to deeper conversation and reflection than any other form of communication. Anything can be asked, if asked with love, humility and respect.

Ask, listen, explore, learn.

4.Will I expect to be changed?

A good friendship is transformative.

My life-experiences are limited, but a growing cross-cultural friendship can explode my tiny worldview, presenting a whole new perspective for how life can be understood and approached.

My understanding of the world has grown, my perspectives have been stretched, and my faith in Jesus Christ has been strengthened by the exploration that happens in deep conversation with friends.

5.Do I really want to be friends?

(Perhaps the hardest and most important question, that demands an honest answer.)

Friendship is the bridge upon which the truly important questions of life can be considered. Companioning together through life’s complexities, exploring the truly important questions of life, death, truth, faith, and hope is a privilege that must be earned.

Cross-cultural friendship is an investment. It has cost me more than time and effort. It has challenged my assumptions; my ignorance; my quick judgements; my glib answers.

It may seem easier to continue on in distance and isolation, unchanged and unchallenged in thinking, but the cost of this is seen around the world in racial, religious and class discrimination.

Far better, I think, to follow the example of Jesus Christ, who levelled the relationship table by becoming human, living and walking among us, asking thought-provoking questions, and inviting us to restored relationship with God through his sacrifice and service.

As Christ followers he is our example—will we follow him?

Will it be costly? Yes. Worth it? YES!

Recently I’ve discovered the sensory delight of salted caramel ice cream. The risk of mixing savory and sweet would have been unimaginable to the ‘vanilla me’ of my childhood. Why risk ice cream disappointment?

Maybe you’ve had a ‘vanilla’ life up until now?

Join me in the adventure of discovering the wonderful flavor, richness and depth of cross-cultural friendship. Together, let’s consider and reconsider the world and our place in it, through the lens of our new friends.

Add a little flavor and richness to your life!

 


Lorna Johnston is the Diaspora Ministries Leader at Outreach Canada. She leads two national teams--Loving Muslims Together (LMT) and Simply Mobilizing Canada (SMC). She works with teams of diverse and experienced leaders and ministries across Canada to alert and activate the church in Canada to the changing opportunities to engage God's mission right here in Canada.


Kairos Course

KAIROS is a foundational discipleship course on God’s mission. It develops the major biblical theme of God’s heart for all the nations of the world—both globally and in the neighbourhood—and His desire to use His people to be a blessing to them.

Kairos Course

KAIROS is a foundational discipleship course on God’s mission. It develops the major biblical theme of God’s heart for all the nations of the world—both globally and in the neighbourhood—and His desire to use His people to be a blessing to them.


All Courses & Seminars

Simply Mobilizing develops and offers courses that focus on mobilizing all God’s people into meaningful engagement in God’s mission. Using a variety of formats and learning styles, these courses are intended to be accessible and reproducible, and are available in over 30 languages.

All Courses & Seminars

Simply Mobilizing develops and offers courses that focus on mobilizing all God’s people into meaningful engagement in God’s mission. Using a variety of formats and learning styles, these courses are intended to be accessible and reproducible, and are available in over 30 languages.


Life On Mission

Testimonies, stories, & articles to help mobilize the Church in Canada to live a life on mission with God. 

 

Life On Mission

Testimonies, stories, & articles to help mobilize the Church in Canada to live a life on mission with God. 

 


Simply Mobilizing Canada Blog

Visit the Simply Mobilizing Canada Blog where you will find stories, practical resources & thought-provoking articles to help mobilize God's people in Canada to be fruitfully engaged with God, on mission.

Simply Mobilizing Canada Blog

Visit the Simply Mobilizing Canada Blog where you will find stories, practical resources & thought-provoking articles to help mobilize God's people in Canada to be fruitfully engaged with God, on mission.