Tihar, Diwali, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. We love learning
what our friends celebrate and sharing why we celebrate holidays here in
America. This has become one of our favorite parts of building relationships
here in Clarkston.
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| Sisters blessing their newest brother |
IMAGINE rainbow powder and glitter glued onto your forehead
as a blessing from your brother or sister. Wouldn’t it be great if we had a
festival like Tihar where we did not celebrate just our mothers or fathers, but
also celebrated the relationship between brothers and sisters?
IMAGINE celebrating one of the biggest Indian festivals
(Diwali) hosted by post-doctorate Indians. Add in the most intense Pictionary
game you’ve ever seen, with fifteen people crowded around the table yelling and
screaming for the person who is drawing and having to shove and to push through
people just to see the person’s pencil eraser. Then after two hours of eating,
picture a room full of VERY intelligent Indians playing the newlywed game.
IMAGINE explaining about Halloween, where Americans hollow
out a pumpkin (which would make perfectly good curry), carve out a weird face,
and stick a candle in it for decoration.
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| We are very thankful for our Nepali brothers and sisters |
IMAGINE telling the story of the first Thanksgiving to your
Nepali friend. Then, struggling to explain that the “Indians” are not actually
from India, but they really look more like your Nepali brother than the white “Natives”
of America that they know. And imagine giving your Nepali friend the honor of
carving the Thanksgiving turkey, only to watch him raise the knife and begin chopping
the turkey.
We live in a world that is incredibly huge and diverse. Here
in Clarkston we are reminded of this almost daily. But as Christmas, another of
our festivals, approaches we are reminded that our Savior “became flesh and
dwelt among us”. The God who created every culture and people in the world came
down and lived and celebrated and gave His life, so that we might know Him. So all of us are also called to follow His example by sharing life and sharing eternal truth with those around us.
Much Love, Grayson & Rachel Luther