The Third Culture

One family lives in Brussels. They study French so they can function in the Belgium culture, and then so they can communicate with French speaking Muslims.

Another guy lives in London. He travels into the neighborhoods highly populated by Pakistanis.

The family who lives in Spain use as much Arabic as they can with the Moroccans they know, however they use Spanish most of the time as they work with 1st and 2nd generation immigrants.

It's one thing to move your self across the ocean and plant yourself in another culture and language. It's an even harder thing to plant yourself in a different culture, then minister to a people group from yet another culture.

This is the reality of reaching immigrants in Europe. For Westerners, they usually need some kind of bridge to connect with the immigrants. Often times this comes by means of a cultural center, food distribution, or English classes. However non-Westerners are able to connect with the immigrants differently. A Lebanese Christian working in Europe discussed how his Middle Eastern backgroud makes it easy for him to fit into the culture and community of Muslim immigrants. He is able to focus more quickly on doing Bible studies in Arabic. Latin Christians usually can be living testimonies as they work along side North Africans in the construction and domestic industries.

This week, please pray for workers all over Europe who constantly deal with the pressures and blessings of working within 2 very different cultures.

Reaching Muslims in Europe-Easy or Hard?

In many ways, working with Muslims in Europe is a unique and exciting opportunity. Many of them are open to new ways of thinking. Their world view has been expanded in this new culture. They see the allure of the world and view Islam as outdated. A Muslim like this may be very open to learning about the Hope of Salvation.

On the other hand, trying to reach Muslims in Europe can be even more difficult than in their own country.

Many European cities have an ever increasing Muslim population. You can find Arab streets, neighborhoods and barrios and even Arab suburbs. They are filled with mosques, Koran schools and halal meet markets. The Muslims who live in these places usually live there because they want to maintain their own culture, tradition and religion. Because they are away from their home, lifestyle and values are held onto very tightly. Some Muslims become even more devout when they move to Europe.

So do we become a part of this closed community? With growing anti-western sentiment, are Westerners the best people to be sending into these places? Who might be a better choice to send to these Muslims who so desperately need Christ? What are some ways westerners CAN reach Muslims in Europe?

Muslim Population in Europe Continues to Rise

Politicians Fret as Muslim Population Swells in Europe Amid Little Integration
Tuesday, March 24, 2009 By Greg Burke

BRUSSELS, Belgium — A clash of civilizations may be taking place on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, but it's also happening a lot more quietly in European cities.

Old Europe's population is dwindling even as immigration and high birth rates among Muslim groups are swelling in cities all over the continent.

And in Belgium, it is no different. Click here for the rest of the article.

The following video clip is taken from FOX News.com. As European cities become more and more prominently Muslim, how does this change the face of evangelizing Muslims in Europe? Or how does it effect evangelisim in Europe period? Please share your thoughts in the comment section.

New Posts Coming Soon

We apologize for the blogging hiatus. Check back soon for new updates. If you are a current worker in Europe, please email us at reconsiderWE@gmail.com if you'd like to contribute stories.

Thanks,
The ReconsiderEurope Team

False Hope

Leila* always appears content and happy. She invites Megan* to have tea with her and Megan stops in Leila's store on a regular basis. Their relationship has struggled to go past the surface.

A few months ago, Megan was able to share the Gospel message with Leila. Like any devout Muslim, Leila had all of the answers for why she loved Allah, and why Islam filled her with peace. Until today, Megan believed this to be true, and she began to wonder if Leila was someone she should "shake the dust" from. It appears that Leila is very content with her life and does not want to hear about the One True God.

Megan's perception was changed today.

A few days ago Leila's son was disrespectful to her. He threw a book at her and refused to apologize. When Leila asked her husband to help control their son, he made no effort and told his son that he didn't have to apologize. This began an outpouring of reality as Leila shared with Megan what her life is really like. She works long, hard days, and comes home to a husband who shows her little love and respect. Her son adores her when his father isn't present, but when father and son are in the same room, Leila doesn't stand a chance. Leila's mother-in-law despises her. She describes her seemingly kind husband as being two-faced.

Megan learned all of this just a few minutes after Leila had taken a few moments to pray to Allah in her store. She used to be uncovered, but now, she is never seen without her veil. It seems Leila is seeking some source of comfort in Islam. She's trying harder to be a good Muslim. Maybe if she is good enough, Allah will let her into heaven. Maybe.

Before she left, Megain promised to pray for Leila. Please pray with us that Leila will understand how much Jesus values and loves women, and that He desires to carry her through life's burdens.

Common Barriers-Veteran Immigrants

There are two types of veteran immigrants: those that have lived here many years, yet still live in a miniature model of their home country in a European context, and those that have lived here many years, yet have mixed European traditions with those of their own.

The first group reminds me of the movie Spanglish. A mother and daughter travel from Mexico to LA and find themselves in a world not too different than their own. They are able to shop at Mexican grocery stores, and attend Catholic Spanish Mass. This is what some immigrant neighborhoods look like in Europe. You will find Arabic written on store fronts, and men and women carry out their lives just as if they were actually living in their own culture. The barrier to reaching this group is that it can be hard to get into their oikos. They have a tight group of like minded friends and family and although an unbelieving Westerner may be welcomed into a surface level friendship, it is hard to become a true friend. At times, they can become suspicious of the Westerner because they wonder why this person is shopping in the Moroccan, Turkish or Pakistani markets. If you hope to reach these immigrants, you will need lots of patience, and lots of time. These relationships will need to be dealt with delicately and you must be a disciplined learner of your new acquaintance’s culture.

The second group of immigrants are those that have lived here for years, very likely speak the language very well, and have embraced many European customs. For women, they often are no longer covered, but they may still have many Muslim girlfriends. These women are also more likely to be single or widowed. When one worker met an immigrant at a evangelical church service, she asked the woman if she was a follower of Christ. The Muslim woman responded by saying that she came to the church because she enjoys learning about other religions, and her own religion of Islam is very accepting of other faiths. These immigrants probably have some of the least amount of barriers. They are much more willing to learn about your faith, and hear what God has done in your life. However, they are still very Muslim in their mentality, and it is quite a stretch for them to accept the Bible says as true. They will enjoy learning about your religion, but accepting it is still very difficult. Also, if these people still have close friends who are more devout, they may feel the pressure to appear more devout around them, and therefore to give up Islam, is a big decision.

Common Barriers-New Immigrants

These brand new Muslim immigrants face many challenges when they arrive in Europe: they don’t know the language, they usually are looking for a job and housing, and they are living in a world so incredibly different than their own. For a worker desiring to reach them for Christ, these needs can present an open door. Christ followers who live in these countries can help them learn the language, usually through classes provided at a cultural center. They may even be able to help with the job search. However, barriers exist when the new immigrant is reluctant to receive help from a Westerner. He or she will usually seek out family or friends from their home country because they trust them, and because they understand their way of thinking. Well meaning Westerners can turn a new immigrant off, simply because the Westerner may approach how they help that immigrant in a way that is confusing, or even insulting.

This is why being a learning of your culture is important. Loyalty is a major issue with many immigrants in Europe. They come from countries where loyalty to family and faith is of the utmost importance. Therefore, you many need to build their trust before they can allow you to help them. It would be wise to spend a good amount of time observing the customs of the people group you are working with. Watch what they do when a new person arrives. How does that person feel secure and loved? Sometimes the best thing you can do is humbly offer your help, and then spend time praying for ways to share your faith with this new person in your life. This isn’t to say that God might not be telling you to act at times. So make sure you are walking daily with Him, so that when He speaks, you are ready to listen.