steve-in-kville wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2024 5:54 am
mike wrote: ↑Tue Jan 16, 2024 12:53 pm
There are other things as well, such as the hanging veil for women being acceptable on the field but unacceptable stateside, which is my church's official position. (There are a number of unofficial exceptions as well.) There are probably many more examples of differences that exist between the two spheres.
Reasons I heard:
1- Easier to make in the mission field.
2- Easier to keep clean and maintain in the mission field.
3- Easier for new converts to take on/off.
4- One size fits all, regardless of age.
To that end, it appeared to me that going on a mission trip, no matter the length, it was always the time that women would switch from the cap to a veil, and the men would come back sporting a beard, whereas they left clean shaven. But that may be a subject for another day....
Curiosity: How many of the sisters here, those who customarily wear the capp, make their own?
The deal about the men coming back from visiting the mission field, now wearing a beard: Some people who came short-term to help us in various projects seemed to think that their normal hygienic practices were "too difficult" to maintain in our setting. A couple of months after we were officially "allocated" to the Banawa, someone from the mission was sent out to visit us for a few days, to evaluate our adjustment to the new setting. When it came time for bathing (in the river), I went separately (from my wife), and the visitor went with me. He told me later that he wanted to go along with me because lack of hygiene is one of the most obvious indications of maladjustment to a new setting. Not that a beard is a lack of hygiene, but it IS more difficult when you do not have running water (except in the creek or river), and if you need hot water, you must heat it on the stove.
But I suspect that the reason for a "plain" man to grow a beard while away from home is usually to avoid the ribbing during the time it just looks scrubby, or maybe to see if it's going to look like a "decent" beard, then decide whether to keep it or not. If he did it at home, then there might be "problems" if he later decided not to keep it.
Congregation: Gospel Haven Mennonite Fellowship, Benton, Ohio (Holmes Co.) a split from Beachy-Amish Mennonite.
Personal heritage & general theological viewpoint: conservative Mennonite Brethren.