稀客到访。。。 Unique guests…

那天我邀请两位稀客到我家吃饭。。。
其实已注意到他们来教会一段日子了,所以想更认识他们,也让他们感觉古晋人的温情。。。
That day, I invited two unique guests to my house for dinner…
Actually I have noticed them coming to our church for quite a while, so I thought of getting to know them more, and also to let them feel the “warmth” of Kuching people…

他们抵达时我很讶异,因为都穿西装领带,而我短裤和T恤。。。很不好意思,我赶快跑上楼去换衣。。。
他们解释说在他们国家很难那么近距离接触牧师,所以听到是来牧师家吃饭,一定要穿最好的衣服来。。。哇!真的很尊敬神的仆人!
When they arrived, I was astonished because they were all suit and tie while I was in shorts and T-shirt… feeling embarrassed, I quickly ran upstairs to change…
They explained that in their home country, it is very difficult to have such close contact with pastors, so when they heard they were coming to pastor’s house to eat, they must put on their best clothes… Wow, talk about honouring the servant of God!

他们来自尼日利亚,在古晋求学。左边的叫回忆,右边的约翰。。。
他们真的比我们华人还有礼貌,我发现他们一直站着没坐下,原来是我还没坐下,他们就不坐!而我其他的“古晋”客人却早就坐在桌子旁等开饭。。。
然后,我还没开始吃,他们也不敢动汤匙,真的是等牧师先吃,他们才吃;哪像我们的年轻人,嘴巴说“牧师,吃!”,牧师还没动手,他们已经吃几口了。。。

They are from Nigeria, studying in Kuching. On the left, Memory and right, John…
They are even more polite than us, Chinese. I realised they were standing all the time because I had not sat down, so they did not sit down too! Where as my other “Kuching” guests were already well-seated getting ready to eat…
Then before I started to eat, they would not even touch their spoon, they were really waiting for me to start first; so unlike our young people who would say “Pastor, eat!”, but before I even move a finger, they would have already eaten a few mouthfuls…

那一天跟他们沟通分享,学了好一些功课,也看到我们自己的偏见,常以为非洲人就很穷,没饭吃,等等。。。
人家穿的西装还是网上订购,从美国寄来超过千多令吉的名牌货呢!
我们砂拉越人不是最讨厌别人说我们住在树上吗?回忆和约翰说他们在这里也经历很多人的鄙视,和对非洲的偏见,求主赦免!
我希望有一天能拜访他们家乡,你们呢?
While talking and sharing with them that day, we learnt many lessons and saw our own prejudice of always thinking that Africans are all very poor and lacking in food…
They were wearing branded suits ordered via internet and sent in from the USA which cost more than a thousand Ringgit!
Don’t we, Sarawakians hate people saying we still live on trees? Memory and John said they also experienced similar despise and prejudices about Africa from people here, may God have mercy!
I hope to visit their homeland one day, what about you?