I’m sure you’ve heard it hundreds of times now: ‘Building relationships is essential as we share the good news of Jesus with local people.’
And that remains true. However, as we talk about this essential work of relationship building, the focus is often on us getting to know others and their world. But what’s also important is that they get to know us and our world as well.
Last month my Mum and Dad came to visit me here in South East Asia. They met many of my neighbours, friends and colleagues, and experienced a bit of what life is like for me here on the island. At the same time, my neighbours, friends and colleagues were able to meet them and experience a small part of my home world as well. It was fascinating to see my local friends open up even further as they came to understand me deeper through meeting my parents. A relationship is a two-way street.
After my parents had returned to Australia, several people came and made comments or asked questions about them. One of my neighbours ‘B’ invited me to his home to meet with his mother and two siblings. This is something many of us have been praying for – an opportunity to meet with B’s extended family and share the good news with them as a family unit.
Two brothers ‘I’ and ‘R’ also met up with my parents when they were here. I and R are Muslim background believers. I have known I and R for about a year now but have never really had the chance to have a deeper conversation with them. After meeting with my parents and having dinner together one night, I and R asked to meet up with me on a regular basis to talk about sharing the good news with their friends and family.
It seems that having my parents come to South East Asia allowed my local friends to get to know me more deeply. They saw more of who I was through my parents. And this made them both curious and confident. Curious to find out more about my life and confident to go deeper in relationship with this foreigner becoming more and more ‘real’ to them. Please lift up all of these deepening relationships.
