ゴスペルの伝道師、Gospel Evangelist

myst about being a missionary

I learnt from my mission training that missionaries may not know what to do and how to do ministry in a mission field.

However, not many missionaries think the same. What's worst is that Churches may well expect a missionary know about everything.

So the Myst is that [New Missionary] can function well by themselves.

As for me, I worked closely with more than 11 missionaries from different missions, 13 missionaries including my wife and I did not know what to do and how to do at the begining. Many disappointed, many di-orientated, and some even defeated by the cultural different.

A Theological degree in Mission may help or may not, probably not. (I meant not enough)Doing Mission is not just about theology, it is about daily life. Just hvaing good theology is not enough (of course better than bad theology, joking), character, temperment, experience, working style and team relationship, environment and many other factors should be counted.

Being the ministry coordinator of my area, I believe that I need at least 3 years to train a missionary to take up my job. I believe that Missionary, too, need to be coached.

Cultural Shock 1

Recently, I have chances to have debriefing with several mission staffs.

And after 6 years serving in Mission field, I started to understand more about Mission and about Cultural Shock.

What I want to write here is not just my personal experience, but the sum of of 9 missionaries (short-term and long-term). Just wanted to review my experience that it might be useful for someone considering going on Mission.

1. Cultural Shock is not a single event.
2. Rather it is the currmulative of lot of single events
3. Completely getting lost of past rapport (supporting system)
4. Disorientation in terms of ministry style and ministry philosophy
5. Language Shock, not able to understand even simple conversation
6. Sense of lossing control
7. Tendency of Magnifying troubles
8. Stress and emotions may trigger deeper wounds
9. Further magnification of troubles
10. Interpersonal convicts
11. Further stress out
12. Burning out
13. Further triggering deeper wounds.
14. and so on.

In order to over come Cultural Shock,
Missionary may need to
1. break the cycle of lossing personal control
2. Build new Rapport
3. Master the language
4. Accept differents between people (not just the new culture)
5. Due with known deeper issues preferably before going on to Mission Field
6. Due with arroused deeper wounds as soon as possible
7. Ask Hep from others
8. Re-confirm identities in Christ
9. Stop bringing personal problems to team, instead actively seek help from the team
besides the regular Devotion, Prayer and Bible Study