Cross-cultural Friendship

Cross-Cultural Friendship

Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

“What do you need?” I asked my new friend, Faduma, as I looked around her sparse apartment.

“Oh, nothing,” Faduma said shyly.

“Are you sure?” I responded. “What about more dishes or bedding?”

She simply shrugged and smiled, responding that she was happy just to have a safe place to sleep.

Faduma is new to this country after having spent twenty years in a refugee camp. Every time we shared a meal, she told me how much she wanted to find a job and how many places she’d applied to work. When I asked what else she needed, she was quick to say that she was okay, but I wondered how it could be true.

Finally, after several visits, Faduma said she’d love a bus pass so she could go to English classes. I might not have been able to fix everything for her, but this I could do. I stopped the very next day to purchase a bus pass so she could get to English classes.

When I dropped off the pass, she was incredibly grateful, and I was struck by the dogged resilience of this woman and her children. Even though her situation seemed overwhelming, she continued to pursue her dreams and await the future with hope. Since giving her the bus pass, my family and hers have spent more time together, sharing meals and listening to one another’s stories. Her friendship has been invaluable to our family, teaching us all about the courage it takes to start anew.

As I think about my new friend, I am struck by how easy it would be for me to go about my days relatively unaffected and unaware of the needs of others in my community. I have the luxury of living my life with little thought toward the concerns of others, if I so choose. But that is not what God asks of us. As Christians, we are called to see to the needs of those around us, rather than focusing on just our own. We should be showing kindness toward others, remembering that sometimes love looks like a bus pass for a new friend who has become so dear.

— Kendra

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

Extend the hand of friendship to someone overlooked in your community.