Last week I was asked to help out with a new staff training day. The ministry team that we work with was giving some teaching on how to function in such a diverse organization. Myself and three others from different ethnic backgrounds shared our experiences working cross-culturally. First, a man from Venezuela shared some of the biggest challenges he faced when he came to Holland. He had a lot of trouble with greetings. Instead of the enthusiastic hugs that Venezuelans give each other when they meet, he was shocked that people could pass by him in the hallway without even saying “hello”. He shared the frustration and the rejection that he felt, until he recognized that it wasn’t a personal problem but a cultural difference. Today, he’s very well adapted to the culture and at the same time, he still has his Venezuelan flair.
Two others shared as well: a Dutch woman gave her perspective as someone from the host culture; and a man from Zimbabwe shared his challenges and how he overcame them. I also got to talk about what it’s like being an American in Europe, where people tend to judge me based on my nationality (or rather, the politics and culture of my nationality!) and not for who I am as a person. At the end of the training session all of the new staff had the opportunity to share something. I was amazed at the response; there was a lot of heated discussion, tough questions, newly found cultural understanding and even some unresolved pain coming up. At the very heart of it, I got the sense that people were so grateful that they could share part of their story and at the same time, come to appreciate others’ stories a little bit more.
This week, our organization started a three month training course for leaders. Seventy people from at least thirty different nations arrived on the base to receive training and develop vision for their ministries all over the world. Chris and I won’t be part of this training directly, but I mention it because one week of the training will be focused on this whole area of intercultural relationships. Our team leader will be facilitating the training, which will be similar to the intercultural workshop we facilitated in June. In some ways, this whole issue is kind of like the big white elephant in the room of world missions: everyone knows it’s there, but no one wants to talk about it. But if we don’t, we can’t move forward. We really believe that this is such a significant moment; to have leaders from all over the world gathered together and equipped to work together in unity. Would you please pray for this week of training? Thanks!!
