Comments on: An American in an International Church

By: Bindi Mamouney

Bindi Mamouney — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 09:57:33 +0000

I enjoyed reading your essay. We are moving to Vienna in a month from Australia and would love any thoughts you might be able to share. Especially from an LDS perspective

By: Tiffany

Tiffany — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:26:42 +0000

That was so beautifully written. There is so much I thought of when reading this, especially relating to my own experiences living abroad for 5 years. But I really don’t think I can add to what you have said. Thanks for sharing that.

By: Michelle Glauser

Michelle Glauser — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 07:00:56 +0000

Isn’t comparing cultures interesting? germanyfromanamericanperspective.blogspot.com

By: elizabeth-w

elizabeth-w — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 04:47:31 +0000

I always imagine what church is like in, say, Mongolia. Do the saints there sing Come, Come Ye Saints, and struggle with all the hymns because the music is so Western?
What cultural things do we export that have nothing to do with The Gospel?

By: Dalene

Dalene — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 04:04:05 +0000

Having lived in France and Belgium what I remember and regret the most was not being able to convey the deepest feelings of my heart. It’s easy to learn how to ask for bread, postage, or an order of frites, but it’s hard to find the rights words to tell someone about how you felt the day your dad died and you gained a testimony of the power of the Holy Ghost or how much you’ve come to love the people of their country.

Great post Maralise, and thanks for the link to Justine’s essay. They’re both beautiful.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:18:33 +0000

Maralise – I love this. Beautifully written.

I loved living in Vienna, LOVED the International Ward there and struggled daily with my absence of German language skills. (and I loved having lunch with you and the gals there a couple of months ago!) Living in another country is always difficult, but the years I spent in the US and Austria were wonderful times that I’d never replace. They’ve helped mould who I now am.

By: Les

Les — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:45:40 +0000

What a great perspective. Sometimes we get so short sighted, so used to our own particular cultural “flavor” of the gospel. The 2 1/2 years I spent living in Turkey taught me so much. There are great lessons to be learned in various cultures, their gifts, their ways of connecting- that make you realize America does not have the corner on the market of “good things”. I always tell my husband this is why foreign films are good!

By: Shelah

Shelah — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:55:31 +0000

This is beautiful, Maralise. As a convert, I spent the first ten or so years in the church trying my best to eradicate any part of me that didn’t fit in to my vision of the perfect cultural Mormon. It was actually living in Europe in two brief college stints that helped me understand that it was really faith and not culture that united Saints.