Today I have posted another picture of the Romanian church during worship. This time it is during a VBS called "Who's your hero?". The answer, of course, is Jesus! Robert Elkins and David Gentiles are leading the worship. The children loved it!
Today is day five in our study preparing for a mission trip. It’s a good bet you’ll pack your favorite remedies for common ailments on the trip. There’s that pink lotion for bug bites and the other pink medicine for when you’re “intestinally challenged.” But what are you packing for culture shock? Have you heard of that ailment?
What is culture shock anyway? To help understand it, let’s imagine this scenario: When you arrive at your site, the warm weather feels so lovely, the little village seems quaint and friendly, and your hosts are so interested and neighborly. But…after a few weeks or maybe even days, you feel your attitudes shift. The honeymoon is definitely over. Suddenly the heat is stifling, the tiny village is closing in on you, and your hosts won’t give you a moment to yourself. On the last two missons trips I have taken I just couldn't get used to the heat. The local people were not bothered at all by the heat. In fact, sometimes they had jackets on when I was sweating. I ended up buying a box fan in both countries. One was in South America and one was in Europe but they were both different from my home. Is that culture shock? Let’s start with a definition.
Culture shock is the disorientation that results from unfamiliar surroundings and unmet expectations.
Culture shock has begun. Nothing is predictable, and daily living is filled with an uncomfortable feeling. Now you find yourself critical and complaining…and disappointed for even feeling this way. You may even feel like going home.
Just remember that these are all very normal feelings for anyone who travels outside his or her own culture. So even though you may expect to experience some degree of culture shock, let’s look at it carefully and see if it can be a bit less electrifying.
What happens when living outside of one’s own culture? After the initial honeymoon stage, one of the first things to creep in is a judgmental attitude. If things are different from one’s own customs, values, and behaviors, they are, well…just wrong or intolerable, or at least, just plain weird.
Think about this. It’s even true when you get close to another person or family here at home. When they do something differently than you do, it’s common to thing that you do it the right way and they do it the wrong way.
Think of an example from when your own experience of another person or family doing “it” wrong, and write it out.
In every culture we can find unbiblical practices. But experts say that people from every culture around the world think their way is the right way. This is called ethnocentricity. It is very important to learn early that the social behaviors of another culture are not necessarily wrong; they are just different from yours. They can be appreciated and enjoyed. Try to memorize this phrase, and remind yourself of it often. “IT’S NOT WRONG; IT’S JUST DIFFERENT.”
The famous short-term missionary Paul lived in and out of many different cultures. Read in 1 Corinthians 10 about Paul’s dealing with an agitated group who thought eating certain meat was wrong. In verses 23-33, he addresses this issue. Write out two principles that you want to remember from verses 31-33.
Today is day five in our study preparing for a mission trip. It’s a good bet you’ll pack your favorite remedies for common ailments on the trip. There’s that pink lotion for bug bites and the other pink medicine for when you’re “intestinally challenged.” But what are you packing for culture shock? Have you heard of that ailment?
What is culture shock anyway? To help understand it, let’s imagine this scenario: When you arrive at your site, the warm weather feels so lovely, the little village seems quaint and friendly, and your hosts are so interested and neighborly. But…after a few weeks or maybe even days, you feel your attitudes shift. The honeymoon is definitely over. Suddenly the heat is stifling, the tiny village is closing in on you, and your hosts won’t give you a moment to yourself. On the last two missons trips I have taken I just couldn't get used to the heat. The local people were not bothered at all by the heat. In fact, sometimes they had jackets on when I was sweating. I ended up buying a box fan in both countries. One was in South America and one was in Europe but they were both different from my home. Is that culture shock? Let’s start with a definition.
Culture shock is the disorientation that results from unfamiliar surroundings and unmet expectations.
Culture shock has begun. Nothing is predictable, and daily living is filled with an uncomfortable feeling. Now you find yourself critical and complaining…and disappointed for even feeling this way. You may even feel like going home.
Just remember that these are all very normal feelings for anyone who travels outside his or her own culture. So even though you may expect to experience some degree of culture shock, let’s look at it carefully and see if it can be a bit less electrifying.
What happens when living outside of one’s own culture? After the initial honeymoon stage, one of the first things to creep in is a judgmental attitude. If things are different from one’s own customs, values, and behaviors, they are, well…just wrong or intolerable, or at least, just plain weird.
Think about this. It’s even true when you get close to another person or family here at home. When they do something differently than you do, it’s common to thing that you do it the right way and they do it the wrong way.
Think of an example from when your own experience of another person or family doing “it” wrong, and write it out.
In every culture we can find unbiblical practices. But experts say that people from every culture around the world think their way is the right way. This is called ethnocentricity. It is very important to learn early that the social behaviors of another culture are not necessarily wrong; they are just different from yours. They can be appreciated and enjoyed. Try to memorize this phrase, and remind yourself of it often. “IT’S NOT WRONG; IT’S JUST DIFFERENT.”
The famous short-term missionary Paul lived in and out of many different cultures. Read in 1 Corinthians 10 about Paul’s dealing with an agitated group who thought eating certain meat was wrong. In verses 23-33, he addresses this issue. Write out two principles that you want to remember from verses 31-33.
