Work–Cross Culturally

Our Calling

Do you feel called by God to do what you are doing, right now, in the place you are doing it? Most cross cultural workers have some understanding of their calling. But in this edition of Peter’s Wife, I’d like to encourage you and maybe help you understand a little bit more about your calling.

We are among those called to belong to Jesus and to be saints. (Rom. 1:6,7) Thankfully, God empowers us to live a life worthy of our calling: being humble, gentle, patient, bearing with one another, and making every effort to maintain unity. This is our calling as children of God. (Eph. 4:1-3)

So every believer has a call. But most of us living overseas believe we also have a more specific calling to service. And as we all know, serving cross culturally is no easy calling.

[Read more…]

Re-Entry- Changes You Will Face

1 Comment

This month I rediscovered a book on my shelf, Re-Entry by Peter Jordan. Ten years ago I wrote an article on Re-Entry dealing with the stages in the process of re-entry to your home culture. This article has more to do with the changes that have occurred during overseas service and how that effects returning home.

Peter Jordan writes, “Things have not been stagnant during your time away. It is imperative before you leave the mission field to take time to properly assess how much you have changed, and how much things have changed back home.

[Read more…]

Should We Tell Them About the Pool?

2 Comments

How do you think your supporters would react if you told them in your next newsletter that you have a pool in your back yard? Or what about taking a week’s working holiday at a tropical resort? Or that you have to pay school fees of twice their house payment for your children to attend an English language school? You really must consider their reaction.

Some of you have supporters who have come to visit you and know how you live, but most of you don’t. How do your parents or supporters, or even your sending organization think you live?

[Read more…]

Migrants

Leave a Comment

Migrant. Do you consider yourself a migrant? In the narrow UN definition, most of us would not qualify since we are not employed by our adopted country. But in the broader sense of living either temporarily or permanently in a country where we were not born, and having acquired some significant social ties to this county, most of us would qualify. Like the Bible says, we are strangers and aliens in the land of promise.

There are many helpful suggestions for migrants that we may not have taken personally. Whether we are long-time migrants in the country we serve or have just arrived, some common migrant thoughts can trip us up. Here are a few for you to consider:

Comparisons between our native country and our adopted country
Comparisons can be a slippery slope to the blues. Our comparisons may make our native country, with all its perks, seem all good. Then the reverse is true of our adopted country. In this skewed condition, our host country is all bad.

We can start down this slide when the day is exceptionally hot and humid, or when we cannot find our favorite comfort food. Say you live in a place where you cannot get good chocolate, and the stash you brought is depleted. And, its been raining for four days straight. If we don’t head it off quickly, we could be in the dungeon of despair by lunchtime. [Read more…]