I read this article on an expat site that was very insightful and encouraging to me. We didn't have any "formal" missionary training. This kind of training probably would have went over this exact topic. We prepared ourselves the best we could and dove into the water...the water being a foreign country. We are doing well I think with the occasional bumps here and there. Overall, I think we are adapting. Some days I love it and other days I wish I could hop on the next plane home. This is something we expected though. I think I'll do this article in a few pieces so as not to make one dreadfully long post.
So here goes the article:
One of the first things I noticed about China was that all the men carried purses and the women held hands. This phenomenon shot straight to the top of my list of "Weird World Wonders" and stayed there until a mere five minutes later, when I went looking for a bathroom at the airport and came face to face with my first squatty potty.
This was culture shock, pure and simple, and I was already moving from the first stage of it - the honeymoon, or tourist, stage, which I had entered before we ever left the States - into the second, the irritation-to-anger stage. Culture shock can mean many different things to many different people, and any kind of move - whether it be across town, across the country or across the planet - can create different kinds of trauma in different kinds of people. Kalvero Oberg first identified the five distinct stages of culture shock in 1958, and we know them today as:
* The honeymoon, or tourist, stage;
* The irritation-to-anger stage;
* The rejection/regression stage;
* The integration/assimilation stage;
* The reverse, or reentry, stage.
So here is a thought. we have been here a little over 3 months now. I have found us going around the honeymoon stage and the irritation to anger stage and a little bit in the rejection/regression stage, and then back to the honeymoon stage. At least we're not standing still. One of these days we will be back in America and missing Russia...
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Princess Eve
Eve was princess for a day. We had her birthday party on Sunday. The royal dinner for the day was spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread. We invited over a couple of friends and just hung out for the evening. It was nice to have the company after the mess with our wallet the day before. we have some great friends here that are such a blessing and encouragement to us. Eve got a cash register and the fairy stuff you see here. She also got a craft set to make bracelets. She got to spend more time on Nick.com than usual...she thought it was a pretty nice day. We did too...
Missing Home
I miss home from time to time. I get a bit homesick and I miss friends and family members. I think it's harder when one of the kids are having a rough day though. I found our daughter Eve staring out of the window this morning. She wasn't being her usual self if you know what I mean. Usually she's a pretty chipper person in the morning. Can I play? Can I have some breakfast? Can you color with me? Can I chase the dog around the flat a few times? You know...things that an eight year old likes to do. When we asked her what was wrong all she could spit out before the tears came was, "I miss home."
It's a hard part about being here. She has friends here that she adores. She always wants to see them and play with them. She looks forward to the next time she will see them...but she gets so homesick for her cousins and friends back home.
It passes and she's soon chasing our dog Piper around the flat again...it just tugs on our hearts to see our children hurting at all. It's something we have to work through and it stretches us to trust the Lord to comfort us. I know that this is part of the process and it grows us in ways we don't even see yet...but growing pains still ache.
A friend of ours has a quote on her facebook that says, "His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding hour by hour, The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flower!
From Hannah Hurnard-Hearing Heart. I like this quote because it is a pure message of hope when you are stepping into the unknown and needing some reassurance.
It's a hard part about being here. She has friends here that she adores. She always wants to see them and play with them. She looks forward to the next time she will see them...but she gets so homesick for her cousins and friends back home.
It passes and she's soon chasing our dog Piper around the flat again...it just tugs on our hearts to see our children hurting at all. It's something we have to work through and it stretches us to trust the Lord to comfort us. I know that this is part of the process and it grows us in ways we don't even see yet...but growing pains still ache.
A friend of ours has a quote on her facebook that says, "His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding hour by hour, The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flower!
From Hannah Hurnard-Hearing Heart. I like this quote because it is a pure message of hope when you are stepping into the unknown and needing some reassurance.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Moving to Canada
We met Sasha an Natasha in America. They've spoke at our church before. They used to live in Chicago and have been back in Russia for a few years now. They are moving to Canada this week. We've been able to hang out with them a couple times. It's been nice.
Friday, October 10, 2008
From Minister to Missionary
I'm finding myself kind of lost right now. For the last ten years I have been consumed with ministry. I have seen people come and go from the church. I've seen the walls change colors...a few times. I have seen staff move into new chapters of their own lives. I have seen more events come and go than I can count. I have played, cried, worshiped, laughed, sweat, bled, and lived ministry.
Switching gears from pastor to missionary has been a bit more challenging than I thought it would be. I guess I'm so used to preparing for the next thing. When one event would end, that just meant it was time to start planning the next one. I have no services to prepare for. I have no events to plan. I have no staff to cultivate. There is no discipleship class to teach. No late night gaming parties with the guys. I feel a little out of my element and like I'm a bit in limbo right now trying to figure out what it was I was supposed to be doing in the first place. I know this is where God wants us. I think I'm not having culture shock as much as I'm having ministry shock.
God gave us a rest when we got here. Believe me, we needed it. Ten years will wear a person out. I think we're rested now and ready to get to work. I just need to figure out to drive this missionary vehicle. It's like switching from an automatic to a stick shift and I'm grinding the gears a bit trying to figure it out. I guess being stubborn is a good thing sometimes because I won't give up easily.
Switching gears from pastor to missionary has been a bit more challenging than I thought it would be. I guess I'm so used to preparing for the next thing. When one event would end, that just meant it was time to start planning the next one. I have no services to prepare for. I have no events to plan. I have no staff to cultivate. There is no discipleship class to teach. No late night gaming parties with the guys. I feel a little out of my element and like I'm a bit in limbo right now trying to figure out what it was I was supposed to be doing in the first place. I know this is where God wants us. I think I'm not having culture shock as much as I'm having ministry shock.
God gave us a rest when we got here. Believe me, we needed it. Ten years will wear a person out. I think we're rested now and ready to get to work. I just need to figure out to drive this missionary vehicle. It's like switching from an automatic to a stick shift and I'm grinding the gears a bit trying to figure it out. I guess being stubborn is a good thing sometimes because I won't give up easily.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Ian's Birthday
Our Son Ian turned thirteen yesterday. WOW!! We have a teenager. We had a couple friends over and let him choose what he wanted for dinner. He chose fried chicken, Mashed potatoes and gravy, and spinach. We had a nice time. He got a really cool engineer's compass, a decorative knife and a fishing pole. His sister Eve also wrapped some things for him...they were actually things that were his and she's had them in her room for awhile. Eve decorated the front room for his party. She's such a sweet little artistic sister. She actually said to me, "Daddy, I'm actually happy for Ian that it's his birthday. That surprises me because I'm usually mean about it." We had to laugh.
It's the first birthday we've celebrated as a family in Russia. Ian really had a great time and we were happy to see our son turn into a teenager while experiencing another culture...that's a cool thought.
It's the first birthday we've celebrated as a family in Russia. Ian really had a great time and we were happy to see our son turn into a teenager while experiencing another culture...that's a cool thought.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Guests
We had guests this evening. Our friends from Lomonosov stopped in for tea. Andrew and Nastya were in St. Petersburg visiting Nasya's sister Ulia and they gave us a ring. We love it when we get to hang out with them. They're fun to be around.
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