Sister Act
My sister and I have had some incredible opportunities in the past two years. I, Naomi, got to spend four months in Papudo, Chile, and Hanna got to spend twelve days in Rajahmundry, India. There she did mission work, met people, and experienced different cultures. Since then, it has been fun for us to talk about the similarities and differences of our experiences, and we are excited to share them with our greater Brethren family.
Even though the two of us went to different places, our stories began the same way; both Hanna and I felt God calling us to go.
I was not really sure what to do after high school, because I did not think I was ready for college. One day, I was asked if I wanted to go to Chile for the summer and help the Godoy-Forester family. I was told that I would serve as the baker for their café -- which was perfect, because I want to become a baker! Immediately, I felt a peace and excitement in me! It was as if God was saying, “Yes, go!” Similar to the passage in Isaiah 6, when God asks, “’Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send Me!’”
Hanna was working at a Christian dance studio, Adonai Fine Arts Center, and the owner had decided to take some of the older students on a mission trip to India. The trip would be during Christmas break of 2017. But the business was sold, and the mission trip was forgotten by everyone. Everyone except Hanna. God had planted a seed in her to go to India.
At the time, our mom was working at The Brethren Church National Office, and heard there was a group from Indiana going to India during Christmas break of 2017! Mom got in touch with the leader of the group there in Indiana, Linda Immel, who was so excited by the idea of Hanna going. Linda said, while there, Hanna would teach the girls at the orphanage a dance.
It still blows my mind that each trip fit our personalities so well. God hand-picked us to go.
The cool thing about the Kingdom of God is, even though our initial calls were similar, our mission trips were very different. Yes, the ultimate goal of spreading Gods love and glory was the same, but the ways of doing so were not.
In Chile, the Godoy-Forester’s had started Puertas, or Doors, a few years ago, to reach the community in their hometown of Papudo. Papudo is a tourist town that is popular in the summer, but it can be hard to find jobs there in the winter. The goal of Puertas is to teach people skills such as weaving and making jewelry, so they could spend the winter making things to sell in the summer. The hope being to make enough money to support themselves, and their families, in the winter.
Another incredible ministry that I got exposed to while there, is a café named, La Puerta Azul. This means, “The Blue Door,” in English. La Puerta Azul sell coffee, pastries, and other boutique items made by the people of Papudo. The Godoy-Foresters have found it to be a great place to build and invest relationships, and the money raised by the café is then directly given back to the community.
Similar investment is happening in India, it just looks different from that of Chile, both culturally and socially. The ministry in India has been a relief organization, as recognized by the Indian government, for more than 45 years. This allows them to distribute food, medicine, and help with people’s physical needs. Due to their involvement in the lives around them, the Kumar family have a great opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus, the only one who can truly meet all their needs.
At the Brethren Hospital, volunteers and pastors pray for healing with those waiting to see the doctor. In Indian culture, it is very customary for men and women to be separated when visiting hospitals. This is not out of discrimination, but out of privacy. A huge need for the women of India, is a female doctor to care for them. Indian women will stop going to the doctor all together, in order to avoid talking with a male doctor. In an attempt to meet this need of the women there, Hanna would like to find a way to help raise funds for a female doctor.
The Kumar’s have also started a sewing school for women without fathers or husbands, so they will have a way to support themselves. At graduation every student is given a sewing machine. Hanna had the opportunity to visit/serve at all these places, as well as visited the orphanage and several small village churches near Rajahmundry.
Hanna and I both fell in love with the places we went, and think that experiencing different cultures is something everyone should try. Because of the trip, our world view has changed so much!
But it wasn’t all easy. It can be difficult to learn a new culture, despite how exciting it may be. I remember getting accustomed to saying hello and goodbye to people in Chile, by hugging and kissing them on the check. Hanna remembers being uncomfortable when someone asked her to anoint them with oil. Neither practices are super common here.
We also encountered different treatment due to the color of our skin. In both countries, white people are seen as rich, which caused a separation that made us feel out of place. In Chile there was a yacht club right next to the café that didn’t let colored people in, and in some villages Hanna went to, the people had never seen a white person before.
Spending time in different places has had an effect on our lives here in Ashland. For example, Hanna no longer has road rage, as a result of the traffic in India. If you didn’t know, India is not the safest place to drive. As for me, I am a little more aware of what the world is like outside of my home.

As the body of Christ, we have so much to learn from each other! There are so many wonderful things we learned in the countries we visited, and we want to continue to share our stories with anyone who will listen. We had some great times, and memories that will last a lifetime, but we also saw needs that we would love to continue to talk about. We want to continue to help meet the needs we are aware of, but in a way that continues to honor and glorify God.
