uring my recent MUN experience in Seoul we stayed at a guest house, which was administrated by foreigners. As I looked at them I was awestruck because they seemed to be so fluid in the Korean universe, but yet spoke and appeared to be from a completely different place. This made me wonder how my own culture and my change of environment had affected who I am.

I often feel as if I don’t have a place that I can call home; I don’t feel blue about it. I know that I’m Ecuadorian in identity, but I feel like since I’ve lived my most important experiences here in Korea I don’t really have a preferred country to adopt as my home. In spite of it, there are no negative feelings about it because I feel that through this I have become a much more global individual that I would have been had I remained in Ecuador. Coming to Korea was, in my opinion, the best decision my parents have ever made for me because I am now able to understand a variety of cultures in multiple aspects such as food, customs and traditions, etc. I think this has molded me in ways that I have only recently been able to perceive.

As I returned to my ‘home’ land during the Summer Break, I realized the extent to which my metamorphosis had gone till. I noticed that I kept cocking my head downwards whenever I purchased anything from a store keeper or a salesman. I put considerably more Tabasco sauce on all my dishes and I had the feeling that the relaxed and phlegmatic lifestyle and social system in Ecuador was not fit for me as I was used to a quicker and more hectic way of undergoing daily activities.

Another thing that I noticed was that I seemed to have come to understand more about my faith and who I am spiritually. I don’t know if this could entirely be attributed to the change in culture or the fact that I feel like I come to understand things more as I age. When coming to Korea for my first time I felt that spiritually I was being a good follower of my faith. Nevertheless, as I encountered home-sickness peppered with culture shock, I realized how weak my faith truly was as I begun to succumb to the challenges of a new environment. I later discovered that, as time went by, I began to rely less and less on faith to aid me in my ordeals and more on my self-dependence. It has only been recently that I have realized that it is fine to have a wavering faith, as long as by seeking strength in God one can actually recover and push forward. I am currently on a road of recovery where I am trying to ‘patch things up’ with my Creator and discovering more about developing a relationship with Him. However I feel that I needed this cultural change and the challenges that came with it in order to realize who I truly was.

What does Jesus want us to do for the Sawi?

To be frank, I found this question the most challenging one from the list. I am unsure whether it was due to my hazy faith or to my lack of knowledge in the subject but in any case I could not come about with an answer. It was not until I read Levi Miller's brilliant post that I was revealed with what Jesus really wanted us to do for the Sawi and other cultures.

As Levi had previously mentioned, Jesus wants us to shine His light on others; to be ambassadors of His Word. Jesus wants us to spread the news of His death and how it bestows salvation upon us. To build on that, I would like to examine not just what, but how Jesus wants us to accomplish this feat.

Jesus desires us to be ambassadors, not solely through what we preach but also by action and example. It is difficult for a person to lead someone if he or she does not follow what they preach. It is only through example that a person can lead, and this is what Richardson constantly did during his stay with the Sawi. Richardson often looked to help those who were diseased and injured as well as putting himself in between feuds in order to settle them. Through his actions he was able to not only portray himself as a good man and worthy of listening, but also set the example for the Christian Sawi to follow.

This is exactly what God is looking for us to do. To set the example for others to see and model and through this preach the way of Christ and His death for our salvation. We may not always be a role model, but is only through our failures that we can really grow, for what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

"Excellence is an art won by training and habituation...Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit"- Aristotle

"Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." - St. Francis of Assisi