Wednesday 15 Jul
Kim is reminded of the need to put on other's shoes as we walk with them.
"I snapped this photo (left) on my way out this morning and it made me smile. In Cambodia we wore thongs every day. They are the ultimate footwear in the heat and dust and easy to slip on and off as you enter people's homes or shops.
When I saw this thong covered in frost I had a little laugh, imagining our Khmer friends reaction to the temperature in Tasmania. And how flimsy thongs are not adequate protection against the biting cold we are feeling.
We really have to adapt not just our clothing, but so much of how we do life when we live in a culture that is not our own. It would be silly for us to all continue wearing thongs now that we are in a Tasmanian winter, as it would be silly for us to pack our woollen socks to take back to Cambodia.
Intercultural living requires us to change the way we do things to make sense in the place and for the people we are serving among. We are challenged in this each day in sharing the Gospel among the Khmer people in a way that makes sense to them. It takes us slipping out of our own shoes and walking beside them in their shoes in order for us to be effective in sharing the Good News of Jesus."
- Kim, Intercultural Worker among the Khmer of Cambodia, currently in Australia
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