I had just made a left turn off a busy street onto a less-traveled one when a uniformed policeman stepped out from the curb and motioned me to a stop. I pulled over and rolled my window down.

Policeman: You made a left turn at a corner where it is prohibited. May I have your license?

Me: Sir, I am sorry. I did not know I was not allowed to make a left turn here. I don’t drive in this area often.

Policeman: Yes, left turns are not allowed here. You can see the sign right here that says left turns prohibited.

Me: I see that now, but there was a left turn arrow on the asphalt, and that’s what made me think I could make a left turn.

Policeman: We are talking to the city about that…

He eventually had mercy on me—partly because of that left-turn arrow on the asphalt—but this scenario played itself out repeatedly during my years in the Philippines. Some were legitimately my fault. Many times, though, I felt I had done nothing wrong. In fact, I felt targeted—like they knew I was a foreigner and were coming after me for that. In truth, I was a foreigner and a guest in their land. How could I be a good guest?

First, respect the laws of the land and those who enforce them.

It is not just policemen; sometimes it is immigration officers or building officials, who can delay paperwork for reasons that seem ad hoc or random. In every situation, we must submit to these individuals as our “governing authorities” (Romans 13:1¹). Even if the requirements they impose on us are for personal gain, we still need to view them as “God’s ministers” (Romans 13:6). In fact, we should encourage them to think of themselves that way in our interactions with them.

 

Second, be honest in your dealings with officials.

Even for the sake of the Gospel, it is not right to lie. However, on occasion we may be tempted to think we are exempt from doing right if a more important priority is in view. I have sometimes stood in immigration lines prayerfully pondering how I am to answer questions that may come my way.

Are you a Christian?

Will you be doing any missionary work?

What is the purpose of your visit?

We do not need to bring up everything we have planned, but we do need to say only what is true. Do we really want to build the whole foundation of our ministry in that country on a lie? Imagine telling our first converts how we entered the country: I lied to the officials, and they let me in so that I could preach the Gospel to you. If our God is not big enough to cover for His servants in the right course of action, will theirs be? “Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16).

 

Third, listen to locals.

Sometimes foreigners think they know better than the locals. During the heart of the rainy season in August of 2009, local guides advised visiting European tourists against touring Mount Pinatubo, a popular volcano site. The walls of ash left by its 1991 eruption make the place treacherous to visit during monsoon rains. The European tourists assumed they knew better than the local guides, and three of them—two French citizens and one Belgian—paid for their mistake with their lives.

On occasion, I would fly to an island in the south where Muslim terrorists thrived and communist rebel armies held sway. From the airport on the coast to my inland destination was about three hours by bus. I would text the local pastor about my travel plans. Sometimes he would approve my plans to travel by bus. Other times, he would come to pick me up and tell me something like this: Some of these groups are shooting across the road right now, so I thought it was safer if I picked you up. I knew I could trust his judgment, and I followed his lead.

Fourth, learn to navigate relationships in your adopted country.

In the Philippines, things happen when you build relationships. At one point, we moved to a house where trash wasn’t being picked up. Tropical heat, cockroaches, and rotting trash do not mix well! To further complicate matters, our street was on the edge of two subdivisions. The truck that picked up trash on the other side of the street was not responsible for the trash on our side. I went to city hall to file a complaint, but it was obvious I would get nowhere. So, I made friends with the head of the trash collection on our side of the street. He became my friend, and—wonder of wonders—our trash started getting picked up. I even had the opportunity to witness to him and give him a Bible.

Abraham’s example in Genesis 23 models being a good guest. He navigated cultural relationships in purchasing a place to bury his wife Sarah instead of bullying his way through the transaction. Abraham dealt wisely and fairly with those among whom he was living (vv. 7–16). He kept his testimony but more importantly, he did nothing to sully the great name of the God he served. Ultimately, this is why we need to be good guests in the lands where God places us.