Comments on: Don’t Assimilate Too Much?

By: C. Holland

C. Holland — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 11:30:18 +0000

@Rosalie: Because of attitudes and conversations since I wrote this, she meant “don’t stop acting American.” But in our mission field, that’s tough because the culture requires you to talk softly, especially in public, and to not be boastful or ask personal questions. We don’t deny our heritage, but as I wrote in the Just Be Yourself Paradox http://www.missionaryconfidential.com/the-just-be-yourself-paradox there’s a point you have to change to be heard. Of course, not to follow sinful ways, but just the simple act of talking softly in front of our American friends has confused them.

By: Rosalie

Rosalie — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 21:45:35 +0000

hopefully she only meant not to do everything they do. Our mission board talks a bit about this issue with a reminder that (of course) we shouldn’t stoop to sin just to fit in. If everyone in the culture we’re heading to smokes, my husband and I are going to be more willing to stand outside in the smoke in order to have a conversation, but we aren’t going to offer someone a cigarette in order to have a conversation.
Rosalie´s last blog ..Creating this Site

By: C. Holland

C. Holland — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 10:36:00 +0000

@Kathy: I love that quote! It’s definitely true in my life.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:20:29 +0000

I really like Mayers and Lingenfelter’s (Ministering Cross-culturally) take on this dilemma. They talk about becoming a 150% person. Jesus was a 200% person – 100% human and 100% God, but we can’t be 100% part of two cultures. So we aim for maybe 75% of each. I think it’s realistic and humbling to acknowledge I can’t and don’t want to give up valuable parts of the cultural heritage I have. But some parts I’m more than happy to have abandoned!! I also want to valiantly endeavor to be accepted in my host culture and I love it when people describe me as an Ici woman (not too often YET), because I’ve said or done something correctly their way. I’m a long way from being 75% and maybe I’ll only ever reach 50%. But that doesn’t matter. The actual trying to see things from their worldview before judging it and encouraging local believers to examine what the Bible says to them in their own cultural context is what’s important, in my opinion. And thankfully through the whole cross-cultural experience, I get prodded to do the same, whereas had I stayed in my culture of origin, I would never have questioned some things. Praise be to God who allows us to stretch like this. An anthro teacher of ours used to say: “God sends some people to other countries to learn what he couldn’t teach them at home.”