Japan Thursday April 20 2006

You know I used that label (evangelical) but I don't really know much about their religious orientation...I do know that one of the ladies talked about her bible study group, and Beth said about something that it was something she needed to pray about, that's all. I just meant that I didn't reject these ladies out of hand and assume that we would have nothing in common just because they would "pray" about something! That is a big way in which I have changed.

And, it’s making me more sensitive to the prejudices that YOU guys encounter all the time. Lee told a funny story at dinner last night about a former boss of his that everyone at the table knew, and how they were grappling with a problem at the plant. So one day his boss came in and told Lee that he had prayed about what to do and asked Jesus for help, and now he knew what the next step was. In the context it WAS pretty funny, but now I can also see how this could have been a perfectly normal thing for this guy to do to try to figure something out.

One thing that we learned in our cultural training, and that the 3M ladies talked about too, is how going international changes you (and also changes your children). In the case of the lady that was telling the story, she has a daughter that will be a senior next year, and they've always assumed that she would go back to the US to go to college. But, they lived in the UK for a number of years before they moved to Japan, so her daughter is looking at Universities in Britain as well. What happens is that living outside the US changes your perspective SO much, so when you return its also a difficult adjustment, cause you see everything so differently  and other people haven't changed and don't understand what you've been through.

So, maybe with you all in my pocket you'll change along with me and you can help me when I return to the US!