Would you like a comfortable way to make a new international friend? Try The Peace Project. After I spoke last weekend at Austin Central Seventh-day Adventist Church, several church members went with us to Mueller Lake Park. We prayed for the 20 least-reached people groups of Austin and then divided up, taking My language My Life, MLML.org cards in hand.
As we met people we said, "We're doing The Peace Project today. We're gathering the word "peace" in as many languages as we can. Do you speak another language besides English?"
Then we asked them to write it on the back of a MLML.org card. We then explained or showed them how to find their language at the site, which has great video, radio, and written content in over 180 languages. We gave them a new card and kept their cards with the words on them and stuck them on a tree.
We had a great response. Julie sat next to a lady from India who couldn't speak English. She showed her on the phone websites in her language. I talked to her wary son-in-law who then became excited as he learned what ASAP Ministries was doing on the Thai border to provide schools of peace for young refugees from Myanmar.
25 soccer players on a water break got excited about The Peace Project, many of them young adult children of immigrants. Our whole team met people from China, Germany, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Indonesia, and many spoke different languages from India.
How was the experience for the church members? They felt it really helped them grow in confidence in approaching people of other backgrounds. Laci, to the left of the tree, said, "This is only the second time I have ever handed out literature. I loved it!"
You can easily do this at your local park or maybe a store front somewhere. Check out further MLML training and the script "I Share MLML Everywhere I Go."