I am back!

Well I have come and gone. I spent the last 2 weeks over there and I am now in the states once again. In all honesty the trip was much better than I expected. Here are the 3 major things that I learned about the culture:

1) There is more diversity here than any other place I have been to. The difference between the north and the south is astronomical- language, culture, dress, food EVERYTHING. So if I learn something in the north it probably isn’t true of the south.
2) An easterner finds their identity completely in their family tree. For example if they want to know about you they will ask about your father, mother and siblings. They see you as only one small piece of a greater pie. On top of that because they identify themselves with their family it is very difficult for them to autonomously make a decision, or decide something against their family. This might be when HE said you had to be born again into a new family to enter the kingdom.
3) Everything is hierarchical. The hierarchy is based on job title, age, experience, who their father was, anything. It is also very rude to question, you are expected to just trust those above you. This is another reason why it would be so hard for someone to go against their parents in any kind of decision.

Our father is very good, and he is working in amazing ways over there. In spite of everything the evil one is trying to do, his good news is going literally to the ends of the earth. As of now we are still working on finalizing some of the last minute details.