Each month, our church reaches out to local college students and other young adults with a “Food for Thought” event. When they asked me to fill in for the first week of the fall, I asked, “What did they talk about last time?”
The out-of-town leader said, “Oh, whatever comes to mind.”
Not much help.
“Well, how many attend?”
“Sometimes a few; sometimes just one. We never know.”
Not much help.
I gave it my best shot. Prepared a discussion based on minimalism, based the parable of the soils in Luke 4 and some good stuff from Joshua Becker’s book Uncluttered Faith.
While none of the college students showed up, a woman from the church brought two cultural exchange students, one from China and the other from Mongolia, each traveling and working here for the summer.
I realized that this wasn’t the right audience for a discussion of typical American materialism and consumerism, so I asked, “What has surprised you most about being in the United States?”
I anticipated hearing about wealth or abundance. However, the thing that surprised them was the willingness of Americans to engage in small talk with strangers. In Asian culture, that only happens with people you know well. It had taken them a while to get used to this dynamic.
While each came from families with enough wealth to pay for their education and travel, neither was consumed with accumulating possessions. Mongolian culture is nomadic, where a yurt and all your belongings can be seasonally moved on a camel and a horse. Rather than paying to check another large suitcase, they would return home with only a few gifts for close friends.
I said, “You could ship stuff back.”
They laughed, ” It would take months to get there!”
They were already on a minimalist track.
I asked a few obvious questions. Like, “Have you had Chinese takeout?” and “Is that what barbecue is like in Mongolia?”
Both laughed and assured me that while the American version of those are delicious, it’s not what you’ll find in their home countries. Mongolian barbecue has lots of sauces in the United States. Nothing but salt in Mongolia. And the portions are not as large where they come from.
Both wanted to work in their home country. One in journalism, the other in finance. But before that, internships and post-graduate education.
I enjoyed getting to know these two young ladies. They were brave enough to travel alone, explore the world, and pursue their passions.
Waite for it... 