Participants:
Series Code: GMS
Program Code: GMS000062A
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00:01 A school for the deaf India,
00:02 a student who set out 00:03 to prove his Adventist friend wrong, 00:06 and an urban centre of influence in North America. 00:09 All that and much more coming up next 00:11 on Global Mission Snapshots. 00:25 Just before He went up to heaven, 00:28 Jesus gave us a command. 00:31 He gave us a mission. 00:34 Jesus said "Go, go unto all the world, 00:38 tell them of His love." 00:41 This is our mission. 00:43 This is our Global Mission. 00:51 Hello, I'm Gary Krause 00:52 and welcome to Global Mission Snapshots. 00:55 Too often as Christians 00:56 we brush aside peoples physical needs. 01:00 We ignore their wants and their hurts 01:02 and we get straight to the Bible and to spiritual issues. 01:06 When Jesus was here on earth, 01:08 He fed people, He healed people 01:11 and He touched them physically 01:12 often before He began to meet their so called spiritual needs. 01:18 One of the best ways to follow Christ's method of ministry 01:21 is through urban centers of influence. 01:24 These are small centers of holistic outreach. 01:27 Today we'll talk to Wes Via director of Simplicity 01:31 an urban outreach initiative in Allentown, Pennsylvania. 01:35 We'll also talk with Cheryl Doss, 01:37 director of the Institute of World Mission 01:40 about how following Christ's example 01:42 works despite cultural and language differences. 01:46 But first let's visit a school for the deaf in India. 01:52 To most people, a crowded city street in India 01:54 sounds like this. 02:00 But since Sundramma was born, 02:02 city streets sounded like this. 02:09 You see, Sundramma is deaf. 02:11 She cannot hear or speak with words. 02:13 She talks with her hands. 02:15 Sundramma was not always able to communicate 02:18 using sign language. 02:19 When she was young she couldn't go to school 02:22 because the school could not accommodate deaf children. 02:25 Her family was sad 02:26 that she would not receive an education 02:27 like the other children her age. 02:30 One day a woman knocked on their door 02:32 and told them about a school for the deaf 02:34 run by the Seventh-day Adventists 02:35 and invited Sundramma to attend. 02:38 The family was so happy 02:40 they could hardly contain their excitement. 02:42 At first, Sundramma had a difficult time learning. 02:45 She was not used to school and missed her family. 02:48 But the more time she spent here the easier it became 02:51 and the more she wanted to stay. 02:54 Sundramma eventually learned sign language 02:56 and could talk to her friends. 02:59 At this school she also learned about Jesus. 03:02 The teacher would take the class outside 03:04 and teach them all the lessons from the Bible. 03:07 Sundramma was fascinated by the stories she learned. 03:09 She loved the Adventist education she received. 03:13 Now Sundramma is older. 03:15 She shares her faith with her family and neighbors. 03:18 When people don't understand sign language, 03:20 she writes notes to tell them of Jesus' love. 03:23 She can read and write in English 03:25 and her local language. 03:27 If it were not for Adventist education, 03:29 Sundramma would not be able to communicate 03:32 and share the way she does now. 03:34 Please pray for this school 03:36 and other Adventist schools throughout India. 03:38 Pray that they can teach our children 03:40 the wonderful lessons of Jesus. 03:42 And thank you for supporting the mission 03:44 of the Seventh-day Adventist church. 03:58 I'm pleased to introduce our guest 04:00 Doctor Cheryl Doss who is the director 04:02 of the Institute of World Mission. 04:04 Cheryl, thanks so much for joining us. 04:06 We're talking about something that is dear to your heart 04:10 which is the, the way that missionary families adapt, 04:15 cope with the challenges of being missionaries 04:18 in another culture. 04:20 Why do you have an interest in this? 04:22 Well, probably because I come from a missionary family 04:26 and experienced it firsthand. 04:28 My parents and myself and now our children 04:31 have moved their families internationally. 04:33 And I can tell you 04:34 I know how difficult it is and also how rewarding it is. 04:38 So I'm very interested in helping other families 04:40 who are doing the same thing. 04:41 So one of the major tasks of the institute 04:44 is to help prepare Adventist families 04:47 who are going as missionaries to other cultures 04:49 what sort of things do you teach them and, 04:51 and interact with them about? 04:54 You know, one of the things we, 04:56 we realized early on was the, 04:59 the fact that they have picked their families 05:01 and just come to mission institute 05:03 often across numerous time zones with children 05:05 who may be sick or way to any other- 05:07 in the midst of a transition that we need to start right off 05:11 we're talking about transition 05:12 and what that means for families. 05:14 And they're so many good tools 05:15 out there to help missionary families 05:17 understand what they're going through 05:18 and the fact that there is a normal process to be. 05:23 It's normal to have a lot of grief attached to it. 05:25 Anytime you've lost the life- 05:27 lost so many things you've had to say good-bye to people, 05:30 and places and all those things are dear to you. 05:34 That's a loss, it has to be grieved. 05:36 And the transition itself is often feels very chaotic 05:39 because you're stuffing is somewhere in the world, 05:43 your family somewhere in the world, 05:45 you don't know how to live or act in this new place. 05:48 And so there is an inner chaos 05:50 that goes on as well as an outer one. 05:52 And the entering process can also be very challenging 05:55 as one tries to find a way into this new place 05:57 and figure out how to live here 05:59 and how to relate to people. 06:02 They say that culture shock is a being 06:04 out of rhythm with the culture. 06:05 You know every culture has a rhythm, 06:07 and you're out of rhythm 06:08 and that's an uncomfortable place to be. 06:10 You're marginal to the culture. 06:11 So helping them understand this process 06:13 and the fact that all these feelings, emotions, 06:16 the stresses in the family 06:18 this is a normal process of doing a very difficult task. 06:21 Yeah, so you work through this with them 06:23 when they actually get into the field 06:25 and they confront challenges. 06:27 Is there anyone they can turn to 06:29 or what do you advice in that situation? 06:31 Well, we give a number of resources 06:34 during the mission institutes, 06:35 books that have articles and articles 06:37 and so on that address the different issues involved- 06:41 schooling issues for the kids. 06:42 And you know those sorts of many, 06:44 many of those types of things. 06:46 And then they can also return to us. 06:48 We're quite happy to have them write to us if there is a need. 06:52 But one of the, the need things with social media 06:55 right now is that every group of missionary 06:57 doing mission institute 06:58 has their own Facebook page. 07:00 This is a closed group, a hidden group 07:02 so they can be quite open and honest, 07:04 they make good friends during their time together 07:07 and we have people posting things on there. 07:09 I hit the culture wall today please pray me. 07:12 Now that sort of thing 07:13 and then they feel supported by this group 07:16 that they have, they have spent three weeks 07:18 working through the issues with. 07:20 Now one of your challenges of course is- 07:22 it's not like you're dealing with people 07:23 who're just coming from America to get other countries. 07:27 They are coming from all around the world. 07:28 Yes, yes. 07:29 So you're dealing with culture 07:31 on the end of where they're coming from different, 07:33 I mean how do you juggle with all? 07:34 Yeah, well that, the one of the important things 07:37 we try to do right at the beginning 07:39 of our mission institute is to create a safe environment 07:42 where we can explore our differences 07:45 and our similarities. Yes. 07:46 Because we need to affirm the fact 07:51 that God has created us in so many different ways. 07:53 He is created- given people the ability 07:55 to creatively make cultures that are so diverse. 07:59 And that, that's it's a God given gift to His church. 08:03 So and yet we do know that 08:06 when people get out to the field 08:07 and there's nobody that speaks their heart language 08:10 this can be a very lonely place to be. 08:13 So how do you create community 08:15 across those kinds of cultural linguistic barriers 08:20 and so we try to do that during mission institute 08:22 to give kind of a pattern for it 08:24 or we make people sit at tables with those 08:26 who are very different from themselves. 08:28 Nobody can sit with somebody else 08:29 of their own nationality for example 08:31 or hopefully their own profession. 08:35 They try to, we try to mix things up 08:37 so people actually practice it during mission institute. 08:41 And then of course, 08:44 being forewarned is often forearmed. 08:47 If you know that you're going out to a place 08:50 were their won't be anybody who is just like you 08:54 then you're little more willing to accept 08:57 that of the discomfort that comes and the difficulty 09:00 of creating new relationships 09:01 across not only to the national culture 09:05 but to your fellow workers who are also different? 09:09 And we try to help people figure out ways 09:11 to keep connection with their home culture 09:15 ways in which they can create support 09:18 for themselves from the home. 09:20 Which raises the issue 09:21 when they actually comeback to their home how do, 09:24 how do we deal with that challenge then? 09:26 Yeah, well we have a reentry program here in the US. 09:29 And it is more of a debriefing than an educational thing 09:35 where people need to sort through their experiences 09:38 because the intercultural experience is very intense. 09:42 It's emotionally intense, 09:43 it's physically often intense as well 09:46 social certainly socially intense. 09:48 And that intensities it seers the memories into to ones heart 09:52 but without a way of processing through them 09:54 it's hard to interpret into the new life one is going to. 09:58 So that process of reentry is, 09:59 it also becomes very important 10:01 to their ongoing service for the church. 10:03 Okay, that's great and so, 10:04 so we've been focusing on the challenges. 10:06 But what about the joys. 10:07 I mean, how does this affect young people in a family 10:10 who got for this sort of experience? 10:12 Well, as we have we know we've four generations 10:15 of missionary kids in our Church. 10:17 And I mean, in our family, 10:19 in our personal, my personal family. 10:21 And so I can tell you its quite possible to rise kids 10:24 who are excited about the mission. 10:27 God calls and once we want to continue that mission 10:30 but it helps to have the tools. 10:33 And that's one of the things we try to give. 10:35 There's excellent literature out there. 10:37 There is good support on the internet 10:39 now you can get from missionary families 10:42 understanding that this will change 10:44 your family's life forever 10:46 in ways that you that can become a strength 10:51 to your family and bring a lot of joy. 10:53 I think missionary families in general are people 10:57 who though they have face challenges, 10:59 they'll overcome them. 11:00 Yes. 11:01 And that has made them better broader stronger people. 11:04 Enriching. 11:05 It can and it should do that, that's our goal. 11:07 Interesting, Cheryl, thank you, so much for joining us today. 11:12 Viewers at home, I grew up always at home 11:14 and for family worship 11:15 we would pray for the missionaries. 11:17 I think that may be bit of a lost out Cheryl, 11:19 but we need to pray, it's so important. 11:22 To help remind you 11:23 we would like to send you this calendar 11:26 if you live in North America the details are the screen. 11:28 The faces of mission a beautiful face 11:32 from around the world for every month of the year. 11:35 And it will help you to remind, help remind you 11:38 to pray for these special people. 11:39 We'll be right back after this break. |
Revised 2014-12-17