Edge Program 2014
Amy continues to share about her EDGE program experience.
Cultural Blunders and Blessings
I’m sure that I have made many silly cultural blunders. One that comes to mind is telling a shop owner, “Good morning!” in Spanish on accident while leaving his shop at 8:00pm. When I tried to correct myself, I ended up being so flustered that I apologized in French and then just gave up and left the shop. But honestly, those moments have been worth it to me because this culture has been such a blessing to me. One thing that I absolutely love is the way that everyone greets each other in a very real, time consuming way, even if they have only met once before. They do not ever ignore people who they have met and they always take time to have a conversation with them when they see them. I feel more “seen” after just a month here than I often do in my hometown that I have lived in my whole life. They really care about people and relationships so much here and that has been such a blessing to me.
Personal Transformation
It is tough for me to fully understand how an experience has transformed me until I return from it. However, I can say that I have definitely been transformed here. The Lord has shown me so much about his love, others’ love, and the love that I have to give others. I think that Love Works ( a Bible Study) was huge in this for me. To learn how to love is the most important thing that we can do in life. I have learned to be more complete, bold, and inclusive in the way that I show love and the way that I allow myself to be loved. Again, I don’t think that I will fully understand how this new experience and understanding of love has affected me until I return home, but I have a hunch that it could be pretty life changing.
