HE SAID/SHE SAID. YOU SAY? “WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU’D KNOWN BEFORE YOU WENT?” PART II

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“I wish I’d known how hard it really is.”

I would have gotten more cross-cultural training, especially focused on the culture to which I was going. I would have taken more time in language learning. But most of all, I needed realistic expectations.

Working in a foreign field is the same as being in a war. I know: I’ve fought in both. And the similarities are striking.

There is not much glorious about warfare. It may look exciting on TV or in the movies, but in the trenches it’s a lot of hard work. And the enemy has ambushes everywhere. Often you can’t tell the enemy from the friendly. And your friends get injured and killed. It hurts.

The culture won’t make a bit of sense. You’ll even resent the people sometimes, or think how they do things is ridiculous.

But you’ll learn how to live there. You’ll learn new cultural cues. You’ll begin to see how they do make sense in your new culture. And in the learning, you’ll grow to love the people. So learn to laugh at yourself!

Don’t give up! When you go, determine you’re gonna stay. It’s like God meant marriage to be. It won’t always be easy, but make it work! Don’t expect the other person to change. Change as you need to. And there’s probably no better environment to promote change in us than working in another culture.

One more thing–from the perspective of a former soldier:

“I wish I had learned about spiritual warfare.”

Wherever we’re living right now, we’re smack in the middle of a battle. We need to understand the nature of that battle and our relationship with God so we can be victorious over our enemy. When we cross into another culture, we’re often in places Satan has built strongholds for centuries and where cultural cues vary, the battle looks different. However, Jesus is still greater than the one who is in this world. Our power and victory over the darkness is in God’s hands.

– Tim, who has served for twenty-five years with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Cameroon and the United States.

“I wish I had known more about myself–and Been more patient.”

The following are some things nobody told me, but I’m telling you.

Boredom is real.

I heard that before I left my home country. But now I have long periods of down time that I used to fill so easily at home. The first two months or so in a new place are the hardest, since you’re establishing new friendships and a new pattern of life.

Knowing yourself is very important.

I’ve been stretched a phenomenal amount, especially in the first months of my assignment. If you have any hidden personal issues, God will bring them to light. Be willing to deal with them as they come up.

Don’t push them away. God often breaks us before using us.

Be teachable. and be a lifelong learner.

It’s easy to depend only upon your ability to figure it out once you get there, since firsthand knowledge may seem more dependable than book knowledge and theories. It’s not true. Know before you go.

Editor’s note: She’s right. Keep yourself from unnecessarily hurting, alienating, or offending others in Jesus’ name, and/or damaging relationships before they begin.

It takes time to ease into the structure.

At home, I had lots of energy to fill my day from early morning to late at night. But overseas, I tire so quickly. Realize that being stretched physically, emotionally, and spiritually as well as facing a new culture, language, and living situation wears you out.

It’s okay to slow down. Being a missionary is not about being superhuman and accomplishing a long list each day. Some days all you’ll accomplish is a trip to the grocery store or a government office. It’s about trust, obedience, and hearing the Master’s voice.

– Bethany, serving in the Middle East with the Assemblies of God.

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GLOBAL WORKERS, WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU’D KNOWN BEFORE GOING OVERSEAS?

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Go. Serve. Love

After seven years on staff with Cru, Janel and her husband packed up their family of six to--yup, Go. Serve. Love in Uganda with Engineering Ministries International (EMI). EMI focuses on poverty relief and development, providing structural design and construction management for Christian organizations in the developing world. After 5.5 years there in East Africa, Janel and her family recently schlepped back to the U.S., where they keep working on behalf of the poor. She writes and loves on her family from Colorado. You can find more of her ideas for practical spirituality and loving each other at AGenerousGrace.com.