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Perhaps more than anything, the stunning television images of the collapse of the twin towers contributed to this sense of solidarity during a time of national tragedy. The Mongolian view of the U.S. is generally positive. It was and continues to be seen as a land of economic opportunity, an attitude that has not changed at all since the September 11 attacks.

How have the events since September 11 and the war on terrorism affected aid work?

The international aid community is heavily involved in attempts to assist in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Aid levels to neighboring Pakistan have also increased significantly, including in education. Interestingly enough, several MCS alumni are directly involved in some of the aid efforts currently underway in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

How is your work and life today a continuation of how you were raised as a missionary kid in Pakistan?

It is difficult to grow up in a missionary household without having a strong sense of life as a "calling." A relatively large number of MCS graduates have entered into the "service" occupations, especially teaching and medicine. Interestingly, several dozen alumni returned to Pakistan to work as adults, some as missionaries and others in various types of development work.

As a child, I was especially impressed by Christians who worked out their faith in a secular setting. I admired and respected my parent's missionary calling, yet never experienced it for myself. At the same time, I have no doubt that my subsequent education and work have their origins in my childhood as the fortunate son of a missionary family growing up in Pakistan.

Todd Hertz is assistant online editor of Christianity Today.

Copyright © 2002 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Visit Books & Culture online at BooksandCulture.com or subscribe here.

Books & Culture Corner appears Mondays at ChristianityToday.com. Earlier Books & Culture Corners include:

The New York Times Discovers Religion (Again) | Shouldn't the paper of record be able to move beyond Square One? (August 26, 2002)

After the Quake | Bedside reading for the anniversary of 9/11. (August 19, 2002)

How to Avoid the Coming Disaster | "Imitate Japan." "No, don't imitate Japan." Time out. (August 12, 2002)

"Mind Control" and the Christian Citizen | Historian Sean Wilentz's misguided attack on Justice Antonin Scalia. (August 5, 2002)

Speak What We Feel | Frederick Buechner's latest book is one of his best. (July 29, 2002)

The Great Inflatable Shark Hunt | A report from the Christian Booksellers Association convention in Anaheim. (July 22, 2002)

Why Evangelicals Can't Opt Out of Political Engagement | Remembering Jeremiah Evarts and Samuel Worcester. (July 19, 2002)

The Pledge Controversy | Asking the wrong questions? (July 8, 2002)

Reading Danny Pearl | How would the murdered journalist want to be remembered? (July 1, 2002)

A Cry for Help | Sudanese Christians gather in Houston and ask for U.S. support. (June 17, 2002)

Agrarians of the World, Unite! | Wendell Berry's vision, and how Christians should respond to it. (June 10, 2002)

Stop, Drop, and Cover … | Then hack your lungs out and die. (June 3, 2002)

Death of an Evolutionist | RIP Stephen Jay Gould. (May 31, 2002)

Closing The X-Files … | … with the sign of the Cross. (May 20, 2002)

And the Next Thing Is … | Marxism (or not). (May 13, 2002)

God Bless the Eliminator | Mother Jones magazine makes known a shocking discovery: evangelicals are sending missionaries to Muslim countries! (May 6, 2002)

'A Peculiar People' | The uniqueness of the Jews. (April 29, 2002)

'Nebuchadnezzar My Slave' | Was the Holocaust God's will? (April 15, 2002)

'In the Beginning Was the Holocaust'? | Blasphemy, rage, memory, and meaning of the Shoah. (April 8, 2002)

The Gospel According to Biff | A conversation with novelist Christopher Moore. (April 1, 2002)

Baseball 2002 Preview | Part 2: Saving the game? (March 25, 2002)

The State of the Game | After one of the best World Series ever, baseball faces a crisis. (March 18, 2002)

America's Homegrown Islam—and Its Prophet | The strange story of Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Nation of Islam and onetime mentor of Malcolm X. (Mar. 11, 2002)

'Must Be Superstition' | Rediscovering spiritual reality. (Mar. 4, 2002)

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September (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46