Learning

A few sharp Costa Rican boys in their last year of High School became my cultural guides. It was a dynamic relationship; I was twelve years older and the foreigner. They were a close-knit group who reveled in the novelty of my joining them. Together, we wreaked light havoc on the capitol area and beyond.

Some establishments that were glad to accomodate a browsing foreigner would not have been so patient with a group of teenage boys. My guides knew the people of their country well and were the ones who usually understood what was happening around us. But we succeeded in generating the appearance that I was the one in charge of the group and leading. Their language and so much more became clear to me. And they listened to and came to a deep understanding of the gospel. They eventually became a strong wing of our College age discipleship groups, and years later (though they had graduated) were still leading others.

All of which explains one aspect of my relationship with my wife. She knows the people of the region well and understands what is happening around us so much better than I. We maintain the appearance that I am leading, though she is the one who understands the people and their culture so much better. I follow her from in front when we shop; the high pressure shop keepers waste their energy trying to interest me, opening up space for her to quietly buy.