These women, with their perfectly coiffed heads, and their matching ensembles tried to include me in their conversations.  But I barely spoke their language.

I was obviously an outsider.  If my wild hair didn’t give me away, my ankle-length dresses probably did. I tried to blend in as best I could.  I joined their little book club, and we all went out to eat a few times, but I always got the feeling, that there was a meeting after the meeting, and that I was the number one item on the agenda.

These women had established relationships long before I even came into the picture.  They had children of similar ages.  Their husbands hung out in the weekends.  They had genuine connections.  I was just some foreigner who dressed weird, and talked funny.

Except, I wasn’t a stranger in a far away land.  I was not a mail-order bride, or a foreign exchange student.

I was just the new girl at church.  I was minutes away from my childhood home, and yet I felt like as much of an outsider as if I’d crossed a couple oceans.

Some of our churches and ministry groups can be cliquish, at best, and downright unwelcoming at worst.

Those early days were tough for me,  I was uncomfortable speaking.  I was reluctant to join activities, and when I did,  I usually sat in the back, by myself.

i’ve learned some of the colloquialisms now.  I am technically one of them.  But I haven’t lost my accent,  or my ankle-length dresses  still don’t line up with our casual dress code.

The Bible is clear on how to treat strangers.  I just wish more of our churches and ministries would hold to those teachings.

Mama Radford