How to Live and Serve Overseas

Living and Serving in a Cross-cultural Setting

Part One:  Setting your attitude about yourself.

a. About You. You do not need to “become someone else” to be a witness. God can use you just as He made you. Your gifts and weaknesses will both come into bold relief in the overseas setting. Your role is to make use of your gifts, and when you find you are not up to a task, to believe that your weaknesses will result in a deepening of trust in God (2 Cor 1:8-9). You are a bundle of successes and failures, of happy memories and sad regrets, and I encourage you to believe that God can use exactly your kind of bundle for the people he is sending you to.

The “you” that you are includes both an old and a new nature. The stresses of overseas living will bring out both. Your impact on your new friends will include both. Even when it is the old nature that shows itself, that sinful act can be part of your authentic representation of Christianity, since it provides an opportunity to talk about forgiveness and about God’s underserved love for you.

You will inevitably draw on your life experiences to cope with your difficulties, and I want to affirm that.  Those experiences include your past spiritual lessons. When “cultural adjustment” turns into “culture shock,” these experiences and your dependence on your team together will pull you through. More on culture shock.

You will find help for the many challenges you will be facing in the coming months on the Resource page for missionaries: http://www.foundbytes.com/LW.htm

b.About Communicating. You have probably seen the witnessing diagram that shows a chasm between us and God, with Jesus then serving as the bridge. Cross-cultural communication is like an additional smaller chasm that must be crossed before you can explain the big chasm and the bridge. Here are some ponts to prepare you for successful cross-cultural communication.

All your relationships are cross-cultural to some degree, so you already have been exposed to the needed skills. “Cross-cultural living” therefore is not an exotic topic, but simply a matter of honing your existing skills.

Your listener will re-interpret your input according to his own world view. For example, imagine what wt would be like to explain the word “sheep” to another person who is playing the role on an Eskimo. We all pick and choose from input the parts that we can make sense of within our experience, and that we can “work into” our existing view of life.

It is the responsibility of the communicator to cross the gap: in order to express the gospel in the terms that the other person is most likely to understand. You do not have control over how the other person will respond, but you hope the response will be based on an accurate understanding, so you will aim for four goals: http://www.foundbytes.com/witness/CrossCO/gosp_act.htm

 Part 2: Tools for understanding other cultures.

Using continua (lines connecting opposites, such as a line between “individualist” and “group” outlooks, where you would put a mark somewhere along the line.) Click for sample

Examples about the five sets of opposites in the sample:

“Time/Event,” In some cultures, an event set for 10 am might not happen until noon. You may feel frustrated, but they feel just fine.

“Individual/Group” You study what the family wants you to study.

“majority rule/authoritarian” Example of choosing church officers on Taiwan.

“natural explanations/super-natural explanations,” Disease caused by touching a door handle – or because the someone cast a spell, or because of something bad done in a past life, or because the ancestors are angry

“direct/indirect approach in talking.” When principal chen said “not convenient

To make use of these lines:

First, draw a small circle at the spot where you feel “American culture” fits on each of the lines. This portrays something about the American  “world view.” It shows what Americans define as “normal” behavior; to the extent that other cultures appear elsewhere on the lines means those cultures will appear “abnormal” or “deficient.” Your personal views may not always be the same as the average American view, so now draw a line that shows where you would fit on each of the lines. As you get to know your host culture, you will tentatively draw a circle whoing where it fits. Note that the individuals you will encounter may also differ from their own cultures. (In fact, it is likely that they will differ, and it is that difference that may have drawn them to you.) Caution: cultures are a “moving target,” and now especially because of the impact of western secularized culture upon other cultures. (Just by getting off the plane, you are part of that impact, because you bring the good and bad of western culture with you.) These complications underscore the necessity of  “listening to the other person” rather than assuming that you know what they believe. I encourage you to create additional sets of opposites as an ongoing way of understanding your host culture (and there are more examples on my web site: http://www.foundbytes.com/witness/CrossCO/relat_und.htm

The term  “contextualized” means that you will express the gospel in ways that the listener is able to relate to. The term “indigenized” means that those who become Christians will shape the church in terms of their world view.

Using the onion diagram of Dr. Bunkowske, found at  http://www.foundbytes.com/witness/CrossCO/onion_use.htm  The process of getting to know a new culture (as well as another individual) begins at the outside and progresses to the center,where  “ultimate allegiance” is the area in which God will change the person who responds to the gospel. Cristian nurture (discipling) then follows the path in the opposite direction, starting from the center and after the passage of time finally arrives at the outer circles of changed behaviors and different artifacts, which then makes the person “look” like a Christian.

Examples of each level.

Objects might include the kind of house, the things people collect,

Behavior might include how they drive, how they punish their children

Values (what is good) would include whether they treasure money or free time

Emotions, that is, the things that they feel emotional about. What makes them sad, happy.

Beliefs, such as “burning money to the dead brings good luck.”

Worldview answers the question “why”

Ultimate allegiance: might be to God, or to family, or to self.

c.Other tools that are on my website. (charts, check-lists) http://www.foundbytes.com/witness/CrossCO/chartsLifAct.htm

Part 3: Acting on cross-cultural understandings.
   a. Come as a learner
   b. Be content to take the role of a guest
   c. See your “being dependent” as an important element of bonding
   d. See barriers as stepping stones
   e. You do not have to “agree” with the host country’s custom, but you do have to adapt your life to them, to avoid frustration and to keep your credibility. Some westerners approach other countries as a crusade to break their taboos and free them up to be more like Americans.  I recommend Paul’s approach of “being all things to all me, so I might by all means win some.” See yourself as a servant, not as a criticizer. This is so that the real change agent you are bringing – the gospel – has a chance to be heard.

Suggestions on how to witness

Suggestions for sharing the gospel with those of other religions

Principles of Spiritual Warfare

Considerations for making your personal mission plan
  

Last part: Why Christianity is well-suited to cross-cultural sharing.

Bible is bilingual, showing that Greek words can be used to contain the meanings of Hebrew concepts. For example, the Greek word “theos” was used to represent Greek gods such as Zeus, but was successfully accepted as a term for the Biblical God.
[This is in contrast with Islam, which says that its concepts can only be expressed in Arabic.

Jesus himself crossed cultures, from heaven to earth, showing by example that:
he fully adapted to the host culture by “becoming human.” The term “incarnation” is used by mission leaders today to designate the close adaptation missionaries should make to their hosts.
he contextualized concepts by using parables – talked not about angels but about farming.
His attitude was humble. Philippians 2:6-8 tells us he did not insist on his prerogatives as God, but humbled himself even to the point of death.

Paul had a similar attitude In 1 Corinthians 9 he mentioned a number of rights, but then said “I have not made use of these rights.” In verse 22 he says “I have become all things to all men, so that I might by all means save some.

Paul was “sent out,” from the church at Antioch, and he “reported back” to them.

The early church dealt with problems of indigenization, The gentile believers did not follow the laws of Moses, and so a church council came up with a solution that did not require them to become Jews.
[unlike Judaism, which does require people to become proselytes.

Why Lutheranism is suitable for mission work:

No pressure to force a response: just introduce Jesus and let the results up to the Holy Spirit.

Gospel centered: transmitting god’s love, not a behavior code or a prescribed experience.

   More about being a missionary as a Lutheran  

Large Print for Presentations:

Living and Serving

in a Cross-cultural Setting

Attitudes

Tools

Topic is online

 Part 1: Setting attitudes.

Attitudes about You.

As You Are

Gifts and weakness
successes and failures
memories and regrets

A bundle God can use

Weaknesses result in a deepening of trust

2 Cor 1:8 ---

8) We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. ⁹Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

Your old and new nature.  
stresses bring out both.
sin can show true Christianity

your life experiences are your resource
your past spiritual lessons.

cultural adjustment
culture shock
(other sessions on  culture shock,  personal devotional life.)

Resource web page. “Life and Work”
Foundbytes.com
/LW.htm

List of topics on handout

 

Attitudes about Communicating.
The bridge handout

You already know cross cultural skills

Others  re-interpret your input

Eskimo Challenge

Communicator has responsibility

Goal is clarity

Handout on Cross Cultural sharing

Part 2: Tools for understanding cultures.

Handout on Continua

American culture

You as an individual

Host culture

Individual may differ

Listening

Biblical culture

Contextualize

Indigenize

Make your own

onion diagram
 of Dr. Bunkowske.
http://www.foundbytes.com/witness/CrossCO/onion_use.htm 

Outside to Inside

Inside to outside

other tools
 http://www.foundbytes.com/witness/CrossCO/chartsLifAct.htm

Part 3: Acting on cross-cultural understandings.

   a. Come as a learner
   b. Be content to take the role of a guest
   c. See your “being dependent” as an important element of bonding
   d. See barriers as stepping stones
   e. You do not have to “agree”
in order to adapt.

Why Christianity is well-suited to cross-cultural sharing.

Bible is bilingual

Jesus crossed cultures

“incarnational” ministry

contextualized thru parables

His attitude was humble

 Philippians 2:6-8

⁵Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
 ⁶Who, being in very nature God,
      did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
 ⁷but made himself nothing,
      taking the very nature of a servant,
      being made in human likeness.
 ⁸And being found in appearance as a man,
      he humbled himself
      and became obedient to death—
         even death on a cross!

Paul’s  attitude

1 Corinthians 9:

⁴Don't we have the right to food and drink? ⁵Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas?

11) But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.

22) I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.

Paul was “sent out,”
and he “reported back”

Indigenization in the early church

Why Lutheranism is suitable for mission work:

No pressure: results up to the Holy Spirit.

Grace centered

God’s love, not a behavior code,

Not an experience

Web page on Being a Missionary
"as a Lutheran."

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