What’s the first year on the mission field like?
The first year on the mission field presents a lot of challenges for a missionary. In this interview a couple talks about how they navigated some of these challenges during their first year overseas.
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What's the first year on the mission field like?
When you arrive on the field, the biggest hurdle is language and culture. You'll find after you've been there for six or eight months that you're not having culture shock as much as culture stress. One of the things that helped me the most was when a friend who was from that country but had lived in the United States for a while, just commented to me after we'd bee there two or three weeks and he said, 'You know, people in the United States don't understand that it takes just about a half a day to do life here.' When you first move there you think, I'm not getting anything done, because in the United States you could get a lot more done. And you just can't do it there because everything takes longer. The lines take longer, it takes longer to do the grocery shopping. All of those kinds of things just impact your lifestyle in ways that surprise you.
Most agencies will tell you to take the first year and just work on culture and language, and that is very, very good advice. We should have observed more than we did, but in our impatience to get started in serving, we waited about six months and then we jumped in to serving, so I just wanted to get involved in some things. But I found when I did that, I was stepping on people's toes. I didn't mean to, I didn't know I was doing it, but I was misunderstood. And that caused a lot of hurt. And so, I would have been better just to observe and watch.
Learning about the culture and the language can also be ministry. The first year, I had a language helper who was from a Muslim background, she knew no English whatsoever. And she was so gracious, because in this country where we are, hospitality is a really big thing. So often, she would invite me over for coffee, or tea in the afternoon. This was all part of building relationships and being able to share our faith with them.
With Austin and I going at the age we are, we know ourselves pretty well. After a two hour language study, I would just have to take a nap, read a book, or go for a walk or something, because I was so tired, physically and mentally drained. And sometimes going to the market would do that. You're carrying everything back, sometimes the power's out, you walk up seven flights of stairs to your apartment carrying all the groceries, you put them away, and then you just have to sit down and rest. And sometimes that's all you do for the day. And that's OK. We had to learn to accept our weaknesses and our frailties and not have to be doing something every minute. And to realize that watching and serving and doing little things was a part of getting ready for the long haul.
Credits:
Produced by Mission Data International
Video Editor: Paul Nielsen
Cameraman: Paul Nielsen
Creative Commons Copyright
2009 Mission Data International
Some rights reserved
PreparingToGo.com
2009 Mission Data International
This entry was posted on Friday, May 15th, 2009 at 8:47 am and is filed under Culture shock, Culture stress, On the field, Perseverance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
May 18th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Yes! Yes!! Yes!!! And if you are recently married or are adding children in your first years on the field, don’t forget that you are dealing with getting used to more than one culture. . . . the blending of each of the family cultures brought into marriage, the family dynamic changes with each addition to the family and the new culture of the country you are serving in (which sometimes has multiple cultures that make it up). It is easy to get confused with which is which, so ask God to lead you to other ministry couples who have gone on before you . . . ones who will be good resources in keep perspective through the adjustment process.
August 17th, 2009 at 9:58 am
This video has really encouraged me to seek the Lord and trust Him. I went on my first short term mission trip to Austria about one week ago and I absolutely loved it! I am praying and thinking about becoming a missionary and this video has given me some good insight.
January 29th, 2010 at 11:48 am
I think, a lot of mistakes are made by American missionaries because of the attitude they come with. Some of them are not willing to learn but to teach. I have heard comments about stupid culture, language, mentality, wrong ways to raise children….. But it’s the American view. And other cultures have a lot interesting things to learn – how to respect husbands, how to putty train children at age of one, how to dress….. and even how to worship God ( i am talking about national believers). I am missionary myself to a muslim country,but i am national too.And I came to Christ through American missionaries. Those who are willing to learn,do great things for the kingdom.
February 23rd, 2011 at 1:00 am
I’m aspiring too right now and am taking a tribal cultures class in school. It’s a little tough on me. I want to learn because I may have a heart for the Native American people and I am one (White but also Native American). They teach me all of their ways. Sometimes I’m required to read inserts about their gods and such, but the teacher caught on when I read over the name of their god. She said just say God but I secretly disagreed because our God doesn’t require these things that they do (offering tobacco and sacred ceremonies). So today I walked in and told her that I would just listen today. She seemed okay with it but I doubt that it will go far. She may want me to read sooner or later. I told her I wouldn’t be a part of thier religious feasts, but only the potlucks and she agreed.
The bible says not to mention the names of other gods. Please comment. I want to hear what you think.