In the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast for about 30 days.  It so happens that the time Eugene and I spend here in Zamboanga, the Muslim communities rather do activities after late afternoon because most of them sleep approx between 7am to 3pm or so.
Today, we went to fish pond to continue our relational building by form of fellowship over a good meal together.  We were at Kuya Steve’s house which is a house above water with the floorboard bamboo planks spaced out enough that you can see the swamp-like water beneath the house.  We had some good conversations such as: Ramadan prayer routine; the Qur’an;  super natural beings that live in an area right across the river from where we were.  It was nice to experience this event since we did not have this opportunity last time.  Experiencing how their lifestyle firsthand gives you a whole new perspective on mission life.
Let me end this post with some questions for those who live in United States (or any other place that lives in a “wealthy” nation) to ponder about:
Is it not true that we, as Americans or ( insert your nation here), may look upon the lifestyle of the urban poor as unjust and pass judgement that their lives will be much better if they become more like us?  And as missionaries engage in a culture/community that is poorer than our nation, do you think it is right to change their lifestyle in order to bring the gospel?