I had just attended a wedding—Belgian style.It involved two witnesses, two government officials, and, of course, a bride and groom.It took about ten minutes.Five of which were spent signing documents.There were five other couples waiting in the back for their turn.It all took place in the beautiful late medieval city hall in Brugge.The gothic vaulted ceiling told the story of the city and Flanders through a series of paintings.The venue was more moving than the ceremony.

I then found myself sitting in a living room talking with wedding guests.Someone asked why I was there.I shared that I was a friend of the couple and had provided them with counseling.This led to an explanation of my role as a Protestant missionary.(You have to say Protestant.People have no idea what a Baptist is.And, as my story will show, many have little idea what a Protestant is.)A young woman responded:"Protestant…now that is interesting.Do you [meaning Protestants] believe in God?"I assured her that we, like the Catholics, believe in God.I went on to explain that we even believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God.She was surprised.I went on to explain that, although her Bible had more books than our Bible, all of the books in our Bible were also in her Bible.She seemed relieved to learn that Protestants were not heretical enemies of the Faith.Then we talked about the weather, which is very Belgian but entirely pointless.It is almost always raining or threatening to rain.There is little more to say and nothing to be done.

I had a somewhat similar experience in December.We were attempting to distribute Bibles at an open-air market in Gent.Two elderly women stopped to look at our selection and seemed interested until one of them saw the name of our church.Then she dropped the Bible like it was on fire and exclaimed:"Dat kan niet!Ik mag niet!"She meant that it was impossible for her to take a Protestant Bible; it is forbidden.I showed her that the books in the Bible were the same.She eyed me suspiciously and reiterated that she wanted nothing to do with "my" book.

In both situations, I was initially a bit amused at people's misconceptions.Then I became humbled.I began to realize how easy it is to hear and to come to believe things about people we have never met.I began to wonder what misconceptions I carry, untested beliefs about people who are different and unknown to me.

What is the cure?Intentional contact!We must seek out people who are different and befriend them—talk with them, listen to their dreams and fears, and learn about their lives.And then we will find that what unites us runs far deeper than what divides us.We all share at least one thing: we are made in the image of God.That is the foundation of our common humanity and the hope for meaningful community.

We don't have to travel to another country to do this.In our own towns, our own neighborhoods, our home churches, even our own families, there are people we need to know better.When someone is different, our instinct is to withdraw and protect ourselves from possible discomfort.But Jesus behaved in the opposite way.He went out of his way to befriend all sorts of people. What sorts of people did Jesus exclude?None!In fact, he took a lot of criticism because he wouldn't draw boundaries and shut out certain types of people.

Part of being a cross-cultural missionary is seeking out and befriending people who are different, people who may make us a bit uncomfortable initially.But this is also part of a normal Christian lifestyle.In John chapter 4, Jesus reaches out to a Samaritan woman.A first-century Jewish man couldn't get any more radical than that.Later Jesus will pray to his Father: "As you sent me into the world, likewise I send them [my followers] into the world [John 17:18]."We are all sent.Befriend somebody you don't understand.And search for the image of God within them.

Debbie and I would like to thank all of the faithful pastors and hardworking Ministers of Mission Support and generous American Baptists who made such a difference in the World Mission Offering for 2004.God, indeed, blessed your efforts!

May God bless you and keep you,

Jim (along with Debbie and Ben and Luke)