Culture Shocking: Are you ready?

thought I would post some tips that I.N. Network suggests for team members
There will be a quiz Saturday afternoon January 16th

Traveling Outside Your Comfort Zone

You probably packed your favorite remedies for headaches, cuts, bug bites and that pink medicine for when you’re “intestinally challenged.” But what did you pack for culture shock? What is culture shock anyway? To help understand it, let’s imagine this scenario: When you arrive at your site, the warm weather feels great, the village seems quaint and friendly, and your hosts are engaging and responsive. But, after a few days you feel your attitude shift. The honeymoon is over. Now the heat is stifling, the village is closing in on you, and your hosts won’t give you a minute to yourself. Is that culture shock? In a definition, culture shock is the disorientation that results from unfamiliar surroundings and unmet expectations.

So, yes, culture shock has begun. Nothing is predictable, and daily living has an uncomfortable feeling. 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 traveling outside his or her own culture. And, now that your awareness of this phenomenon is heightened, you will want to be especially careful of having a judgmental attitude as it’s one of the first things to creep in.

When things are different from one’s own customs, values, and behaviors, they are... just wrong or intolerable, or at the least, just plain weird. It’s even true at home. When someone does something differently than you do, it’s common to think that you do it the right way and they do it the wrong way. Experts say that people from every culture around the world think their way is the right way. This is called ethnocentricity. It’s very important to understand that the social behaviors of another culture are not necessarily wrong; they are just different from yours. They can be appreciated and enjoyed.

You may need to remind yourself of this phrase, “IT’S NOT WRONG; IT’S JUST DIFFERENT.”

Flying!

so we are going to meet in Chicago and head to Germany, then on to West Africa. Ready? Packed? Got all the bug spray, pills and sunscreen in that suitcase? I am thinking today of the many choices I have about what to put into that bag I am checking. It makes me wonder if I have put enough time into getting ready in other ways.
Would you pray with me today for the people we are going to meet and serve?
For the team members we are going to get get to know on a whole new level?
Would you ask God to continue to build into us abundant fruit of His Holy Spirit?

I will just promise you that there will be plenty of times when we each need more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
I am trusting that He will be the Provider of All we need
How about you?

SO MUCH NEWS!!!

I had a chance to get to Michigan and meet with the I.N. office team and also Laurie who will be with us in Ghana. There is so much news! Lets see if I can get out some of it for you to ponder and pray.


First we are busily collecting supplies for Bible School at Kanolwe School. The items we need to still round up include cotton balls and white construction or heavy copy paper. Round tip scissors, popsicle sticks and duct tape would also be more than welcome. Any body found these items and have room in their suitcase??
Second, can someone research and print some pictures of single snowflakes? We want to use these to show the different kinds that fall and make up the giant pile we have outside to shovel. :)
Third there is news about the construction. I got drawings of the church building we are going to work on and heard that 30% is underway with local help. What a great combined effort this is going to be. The recommendation is that for ALL of us to bring a pair of leather gloves. We will be digging, pouring cement and shaping bricks. There are plenty of tools available and they will buy more in country if needed. I will try to scan and upload the drawings of the proposed building, so watch the blog for more information.

Ten Helps for Being a Good Guest

I found this advice helpful and hope you do too!

It’s not always easy to be a good guest. When we were young, we needed coaching to know how to behave appropriately “in front of company.” It’s certainly not natural to know what’s expected from us in a cross cultural situation. Though you may never fully understand why, the following social hints (in no particular order) are universally acceptable for acting with sensitivity and humility.

1. Show respect for your host by using the proper greetings and titles, especially to the eldest in the group.
2. Ask your new acquaintances about their families. You can show them pictures of your family, but it’s best not to share photos of your house or car or boat.
3. Be a good observer and listener, and ask polite questions.
4. Dress appropriately to show honor to the culture. Usually, the rule of thumb is to dress moderately.
5. Act very discreetly with the opposite sex.
6. Always show gratitude for your accommodations and food, whatever they may be. You are an honored guest and are receiving the best they have to offer. Don’t boast about what Americans have or “how we do things back home.”
7. Never show your temper. Many cultures see a display of anger as the greatest of sins.
8. Be sure you get permission to photograph someone. Don’t offend your hosts by taking photos of what may be considered private or what may be considered a negative aspect of the country.
9. Show empathy and appreciation, but not pity, for the surroundings. It’s important to be respectful of where your host lives and works. If you encounter any beggars, ask your host how to respond to them since local philosophies and practices vary from country to country.
10.Be flexible with your time. Go with the flow of the culture and the people you’re involved with. Go to learn and serve, not to keep track of the time. There is a saying in foreign countries about Americans, “They have the watches, but we have the time.”

Bible stories

We have been asked to tell Bible stories to the kids at the school. It will be wonderful to have supplies for crafts (see the list in the last blog), but it would be even better if we came prepared to share our faith stories and personal lives with the folks we meet.
Lots of times we hear 1Peter 3:15 used for reminding us to be ready to share our conversion and present the gospel with someone who does not know Christ. For our travels, I want us also to be prepared to share with each other and the Ghanians we meet about the hope we are finding in Him each day.

In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.

As you get your clothes and supplies ready to pack into that suitcase, take a bit of time to think and pray through what you would say to those who ask you questions while you are in Ghana. It might be a 7 year old school child or an older man in the village. As God is teaching you about Himself, how would you tell a bit of 'your story' to the ones who will be curious why you got on the plane and came so far? I hope we can help each other be spurred on to love and good deeds.

Stuff

Of course we love to bring stuff to share, give, hand out and use while we are in the remote parts of West Africa! Everyone has been asking what sort of stuff to plan to bring. I have no news about tools to bring, but I do know that we are going to be playing with and loving up the kids in Kanulowe village.
Items we could use for this part of the ministry and leave behind for the school include:

Colored pencils
Pencil sharpeners
Deflated rubber balls
Ball pump
Yarn (for crafts) especially browns and tan
Children's books (with good moral values)
Round tip scissors
Q-tips (for spreading glue)
Tops for disposable cups (like at McDonalds for putting glue out to dip into)
constuction paper or heavy colored paper
popsicle sticks (400)
5 thin dowel rods
ink pads (like for stamping)
Laminated pictures of animals ( a few that are native to the USA)



We have someone who is sending donated eye glasses and also donated paper. The team in Wisconsin will divide up the paper for the weight. One good idea is to put items in big Zip Lock bags for transport. No one wants glue all over their luggage. We can take 2 bags at 50 lbs each. Please plan on one bag for yourself and one for donations. We need to try and bring some items back home to the USA too.

Questions can be asked in the comment section of the blog. Praying for all the prep you are doing!

Visas!

I got a box from UPS and I think it is full of 'stuff' for our trip. I think Emily got the same box in Arizona! Passports, visas, devotionals to read. We are going to get all set to get on that plane on January 13th.
You can ready your heart by staying in His Word every day, praying for your team mates and also for the leadership of I.N. Network in Ghana. Pray that they may have a sense of His presence as they work for His purposes in that part of the world.

My encouragement for us all today is to ask God to help us practice serving in our every day lives. It is a skill we are going to need on our journey. Look for ways to serve outside your normal routine. Get ready for the challenge and let us know how God is stretching you!

Next steps

So we need to meet and pray and dream and work on details. But the holidays are arriving. Would you look at your schedule and see if the Wednesday after Thanksgiving works? We can skype with Laurie in Michigan, so I am thinking 6:30pm at my house in Germantown.
If the team in Arizona has detail questions or things we ought to discuss, please send a comment so we can include them at the meeting. Also we would be so glad to take prayer requests! How is the fund raising going? What about finding 10 people to pray for you while you are gone?

Thought I would also include a link to some pictures from my last visit there.

Ghana article slides
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My prayer request is for my husband, Lee who will be going right after Thanksgiving to Ghana. The gathering of church planters will be at Adidome.


I know that You can do all things and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted Job 42:2

Ready, Set...Go!

Ghana in January 2010! Our count down is at less than 8 weeks before take off. I hope you are finding yourself getting ready on many levels.

This blog is for us to interact across the miles, share info and ideas, ask for prayer and even get to know each other a bit more!

I was hoping we could start with some introductions. Would you post a little about yourself? Perhaps a bit more than age, height and job description.

As I gather info for us from our Ghanaian leadership, I will try to get the details up here for all of you. I hope we can use this blog also while we are in Ghana to let our prayer teams know some of how the work is progressing. I had a friend in Africa this summer who was not able to blog while there but did faithfully get pictures and stories on line when the team returned. I loved that we got to see and hear much of what they experienced.

For starters, let me ask if you are building a prayer team for while we are gone? It would be great to find one person who would forward our updates and your personal emails to your group. Not sure how reliable the internet is, but I do know there are days when even electricity is spotty.

Margit De Jong at the I.N. office in Michigan tells me the visas are on the way back to us. We have had a few changes in the team this week, so we are already getting the chance to be flexible. I pulled the 'purpose of the trip' information off the I.N. Network USA website and thought it would be a good reminder for us.

Purpose of the Trip

* See first-hand what God is doing among Trokosi girls and women in the Volta region of Ghana.
* Visit local villages to gain an understanding of their culture, and interact with the fetish priests and villagers.
* Help construct a church pavillion in a village that needs a church.
* Interact with former Trokosi slaves at the Adidome Vocational Training Center and get a rare glimpse into their future.
* Visit one of the I.N. Network schools and meet the children.

* Listen to what God is saying to you about connecting with women and children in this part of the world.