i am not talking about 711 convenience stores. i am talking about 7 life-changing days for 11 ordinary people going on an extra-ordinary adventure trip...
i've always been amazed at people, at community and the dynamics that exists between them. if possible, i always opt for cultural immersion trips rather than touristic ones. i'm fortunate that my job has allowed me in the past to explore a bit of social science as i study market behaviours in our target country locations.
now on this trip to maldives, we went into different inhabited islands. it is a very beautiful place where beautiful people live; where beautiful nature abounds; where the 
beauty of the sun, stars and moon shine in splendor; where life lived in simplicity reigns. but i realized beauty ends there... they do not know our beautiful Saviour.
on our first day when we arrived, the host set the rules upfront: (1) no talk about religion, and (2) no talk about politics. and guess where we were housed? right in front of a mosque! i am sure this is not mere coincidence...
for 7 days,
the 11 of us lived like the locals, did what the locals did, ate what the locals ate, played what the locals played. actually, it felt like i was in one of our provinces in my hometown where beach, sand, coconut trees, fish and fresh air abounds. the community is so small, where everyone knows everybody. the men do the fishing, the ladies keep the house and do their 
crafts, and kids go to school and play in the afternoons. it felt like home...
i've always been amazed at people, at community and the dynamics that exists between them. if possible, i always opt for cultural immersion trips rather than touristic ones. i'm fortunate that my job has allowed me in the past to explore a bit of social science as i study market behaviours in our target country locations.
now on this trip to maldives, we went into different inhabited islands. it is a very beautiful place where beautiful people live; where beautiful nature abounds; where the 
beauty of the sun, stars and moon shine in splendor; where life lived in simplicity reigns. but i realized beauty ends there... they do not know our beautiful Saviour.on our first day when we arrived, the host set the rules upfront: (1) no talk about religion, and (2) no talk about politics. and guess where we were housed? right in front of a mosque! i am sure this is not mere coincidence...
for 7 days,
the 11 of us lived like the locals, did what the locals did, ate what the locals ate, played what the locals played. actually, it felt like i was in one of our provinces in my hometown where beach, sand, coconut trees, fish and fresh air abounds. the community is so small, where everyone knows everybody. the men do the fishing, the ladies keep the house and do their 
crafts, and kids go to school and play in the afternoons. it felt like home...in 7 days, i learned more about their lives, their culture. in 7 days i have been personally enriched with my dealings with the local people. in 7 days, i appreciated the true simplicity of life. in 7 days, being one of the 11 lives, i have been changed. it was enough to scratch off the surface of God's masterplan for this place... but to fully continue with this, we need more than 7-11
i have faith that in His time, He will make His glory be known there... To God be the glory!
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