Closets

Tonight I opened up my closet, and I had to stop and stare. I've had a lot of different closets lately. It's surreal to see my Indonesian scarf next to my sweaters. The suitcases are stacked, as if forgotten, under our jeans and hoodies. It made me miss the constant travel. It made me appreciate where we have lived and where we live now. I don't know where we are going, but I trust that God will be with us. When your life has fit into a closet for so long, it's easier to dream big. We can go anywhere. There is nothing holding us back. We could even stay.

Back in the USA

Well. We are here, and it is just as strange as I thought it would be.

I am sitting on the most comfortable couch on the planet with three heaven-soft pillows and a fluffy down comforter. It is glorious. As comfortable as this feels physically, mentally I am sooo out of my element.

The cold does not bother me at all. I actually really enjoy it, so that it a happy surprise.

We are getting to see friends who we have dearly missed, and catch up on needed rest. God feels far away, but I know that faith is not always emotional. During my last week at Monsoon, I wrote a 7 day devotional for incoming interns that I am now going through myself. It seems like a different person wrote it.

Please excuse my brief and chaotic thoughts. Pray for clarity and adjustment.

-Rachel

Top 5 List

Hello all, Colin here! Sorry I haven't posted in a while! We also haven't given you too many updates! Sorry about that! This is less of an update post, but I will post one of those very soon! In the mean time enjoy this Silliness!

So Rachel and I leave for Chicago to stay with my parents in exactly 11 days from the time this blog was written. My mind is so torn about how I feel with this news. Part of me is going to miss my friends and family here in Manila, as well as the awesome experience it is to live here. Part of me is really excited to see my American friends and family, and experience all of the stuff I love in the U.S.. So I have put together a light hearted list of the top 5 things that I will miss the most from Manila, and the top 5 things I am most looking forward to in Chicago! So without further adieu here we go!

Top 5 Things you can do in Manila but can't do in Chicago

5. You can wear sandals year round!
It's january right now here in Manila, however I still wear sandals every day to the office! If you know me very well at all you will understand that the sandal is my preferred footwear (the reason is because I have slightly hobbitish feet and socks hurt the hair on my feet). Living in a climate where it is possible to never need to wear shoes is awesome!

4. In Manila you can find a place to eat anywhere and it's cheaper!
If you were to eat out everyday for lunch in the U.S. and you aren't loaded, then you might go bank rupt! However here in Manila there are all sorts of awesome inexpensive options for ya!

3. You can take a 60 min cab ride and it will only cost $10.
No where in Chicago is that possible, a $10 cab ride gets you two blocks!

2. In Manila, you can choose to go to the E.R. without insurance and have no fear, your bill will be much smaller than in the U.S.! I was there for 4 hours with IV's and blood tests, some meds, and two doctors and they only charged me $150. Beat that US!

1. You can get super uber awesomely fresh sushi! That is just flat out impossible to get this level of sushi in Chicago. The stuff here is legit! And Inexpensive! I know a place that you can have an all you can eat buffet which includes sushi for just $10. epic!

Top 5 things you can do in Chicago that you can't do in Manila!


5. I can drive! In Chicago I know how to drive! Here I haven't even attempted. I don't need an international accident under my belt, so I'm excited to be in a place where I know how to drive. Also you can actually drive. I don't think many cars in the Metro Manila area have ever gone above 30 mph!

4. Now matter what time of the day it is you can find a breakfast place open! In Manila it's hard to find a breakfast place flat out, let alone a 24 hrs. one, and one that serves the "American Breakfast".  In Manila if you find a breakfast place open you will get served rice, no hash browns in sight, except at Mcdonalds, which I don't think we can actually call that food can we?

3. You can have large Pop! In the Philippines their definition of a large pop is smaller than our small. I'm  a former pop addict, so trust me when I say I miss the big size! Wendy's here offers the biggie size still,  I'm looking forward to everywhere I go, when I say large, they bring me a bucket!

2. One word people. Chipotle. I talk about burritos all the time here, in fact so much that I bet my Manila friends are surprised this only makes #2 and isn't #1! I throughly miss burritos but specifically from Chipotle, and that is one place that Manila hasn't gotten yet! I think this will be what I have for lunch the first day back! I'm excited!

1. MOVIE THEATER BUTTER POPCORN. It was nice while in Asia to experience the option to purchase assorted popcorn flavors like bbq, corn, wasabi, cheese, and peanut however, nothing tops and bucket of super duper heavily coated liquid butter popcorn that practically disintegrates the paper bucket it came in. I mean when I get back, I am bringing two towels to the movie theater with me. One for my lap to set the soon to be disintegrated bucket on, and one for hands after they join the popcorn in it's butter bath. Oh, and in the U.S. at most places there is free refills on the popcorn and soda!

So now you know why I'm conflicted! haha! All joking aside I think what is really at the center of my mixed emotions is the fact that I have throughly enjoyed this past season of life. God has led Rachel and I on an amazing journey and has given us many awesome adventures. On top of that, he also gave us a lot of new friends who have touched our hearts. Rachel and I even grew leaps and bounds in our marriage as we learned to really work together, and understand how to live in a situation where we are around each other 24/7. It's been beautiful and I don't want it to be over.

I also really miss my friends and family back home. Everyday I think of someone else who I would just love to sit and have a chat with in person. Something is always reminding me of one of my closest friends. I'm excited to see you all again.

Soon we will be giving a more updatey kind of post of what we have been up to, as well as showing you some portfolio items of projects we worked on here, that we have not yet posted! Thanks for reading!
-Colin

Take off and Landing

Ecclesiastes is one of the most depressing books of the Bible. Lamentations is pretty sad, but Ecclesiastes despairs at the meaning of life.

The Questor, the Preacher, the Teacher… all names translators have given to the man who wrote this exquisitely heartbreaking piece of poetry. He tries everything to satisfy his thirsty soul.

He even tries God.

But still, he cannot find the purpose of his life. After a life of searching, the Questor-Preacher-Teacher writes this:

A Song for America

My Christian walk has been a rebellion against pledging my allegiance to anything but Christ. One of the reasons I became a missionary was so that I could travel the whole world without ties to any certain nation.

I hate the word “patriotic”
I refuse to say the pledge of allegiance.
I don’t put my hand over my heart when the national anthem is sung.
When people call America a Christian nation, I have to stifle snide comments about pop culture, consumerism, oil-wars, and political scandal.

Imagine my surprise when last Saturday, I realized that…

What Garbage has to do with Christmas

Today I experienced true poverty for the first time since arriving in Southeast Asia.  Up until now, I’ve seen different standards of living that, before I experienced life overseas, I would have thought were poor but have come to accept as simply different. Today for a split second, I saw a naked man digging through piles of garbage, waist deep in stagnant water, while we were driving in Jakarta. It was less than a second, but my mind held the image for a long time. It’s still with me.

Yesterday, I would have said that other parts of the world are mostly just misunderstood by Americans. I would have said that we label countries third-world that simply value different things… like air conditioning, indoor plumbing, or non-dirt floors. Those things are not necessities. Those are just things that we take for granted.

But I wonder about that man.

Does he have a family? Will he catch a disease from that water? If he does, will he die? Why does no one help him?

Christmas music is playing as I write this entry. It surrounds me as the musician joyfully sings, “He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love.” How come all I see is this man when all I can hear is “Joy to the World?”

I think God is reminding me that He came here. The most glorious being EVER became incarnate on earth… the same earth where this man digs through rubbish… the same earth where I try to ignore that man.
No matter how broken this world may seem, we can still shout, “Joy to the World” because He is here. He did not leave us to die hopeless. We might be digging in the trash right now, but there will come a day when the incarnate one returns to heal and restore.

We celebrate Christmas because he came here in flesh. We have hope because he is coming back to finish what he started.

-Rachel

Tarshish

I’ve been reading a LOT lately. Between our 90 day Bible reading plan, “Under the Unpredictable Plant” (the book assigned by my PRIME mentor), and novels for entertainment, most of my free time is spent reading. I feel like I’m back in school, but this time, there are no grades or teachers to set deadlines. It takes significant will power to continue to read 10-16 chapters of the Bible a day when the Hobbit seems like it takes so much less effort. No matter how great “Under the Unpredictable Plant” is, it is still heavy theology and requires thinking.

Apparently, I don’t like to think.

Feel free to click "read more" to read about that? haha.

Prosperity Gospel (part three: reason)

I've always been more heart than head, but that doesn't mean I neglect logical thought. One of the reasons that I study theology is because when done correctly, it should inform ministry practice. The more we learn about God, the better we understand how our lives should practically reflect truth.

Everything we do has a message. The pastor from the case study probably doesn't realize what the prosperity gospel communicates on a deeper theological level.

According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, God is “the supreme or ultimate reality: as the Being perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness who is worshipped as creator and ruler of the universe.” To further elaborate, “supreme” is defined as “1) highest in rank or authority 2) highest in degree or quality, and 3) ultimate, final.”

Logically speaking, if God is the loftiest being ever, and Jesus is God, no one deserves more than him. In fact, if someone was entitled to more than him, that person would be the loftiest being. They would be God. What the prosperity gospel is actually saying is that Jesus and the Father are vending machines to serve us. It is a reversal of status in which God becomes lower than his so-called followers.

If Jesus was a homeless nomad who was mocked as he was murdered. Why would his followers prove their faithfulness by respect and wealth?

If we choose to accept the prosperity gospel, we must abandon all doctrines associated with God’s supremacy and the Atonement. If the logic behind Christ’s atoning sacrifice is that he is perfect and the incarnation of God on earth, then the prosperity gospel stands as an affront to his perfection. If, as the prosperity gospel states, blessing is wealth and honor, then the cross was the opposite of Kingdom come.

This pastor must re-evaluate the logic of his teaching.

So do we.

Every time we allow ourselves to feel entitled, we risk idolatry. The worship of ourself is so tempting.

Prosperity Gospel? (part 2: Historical Traditions)

For those of you who are following this case study analysis, this is probably one of the most academic, no-fluff posts on this blog (unless you read my senior project research project... which if you did, I'm impressed). I don't expect many to read this, but I thought that the history and traditions surrounding the case study give important insight. Through reflection upon historical missiology and theology, the benefits and limitations of this approach become apparent.

Click read more if you dare ;)

Stop Feeding the Poor and Start Making Music

Let me apologize in advance for the antagonistic title. Before taking this controversial statement at face value, please read and wrestle with this post. Truthfully, I just want people to read it and figured that this title would be intriguing. It is something that I care very much about, and my hope is to begin a conversation that challenges us all.

After multiple "chance" conversations with strangers about standards of living, and reading a beautiful devotional by Sadhu Sadar Singh (as well as many other events), I believe that God is stretching my heart and mind to include my brothers and sisters around the globe who many wrongly call "less fortunate."

With that said, please click "read more."

Beauty

A gorgeous bridge over a river in the jungle. Wow.

The village we visited yesterday was stunning. I have come to realize that these places (we are so enraptured by) are seen as mundane by the people who live there. Rainforest covered mountains take my breath away. Hibiscus flowers capture my attention. The beauty of my surroundings is so obvious. I find myself frequently saying “We have nothing so beautiful in the states!” Always, without fail, a local corrects me. “No! You have much more beautiful places in the US.”

The exotic is always deemed lovelier. We always long for what we don’t see. Why are we so ill contented?

Click read more to hear my thoughts and see more pictures.

Needing and Wanting

Communion is always beautiful...
no matter where you are.

What do you need right now?

Make a list.

What would happen if you didn't get those things?

I have declined to go to the bathroom in all gas station restrooms. I have avoided drinking tap water because it "just doesn't taste right." I have refused to sleep at certain hotels because they "looked too cheap." I have complained about the heat when my house and every surrounding business had air-conditioning.

Ungratefulness has consumed my mind for far too long.

God has been speaking to me very clearly about dependancy on him and being thankful for his blessings. Click read more to hear specifics. Without his permission, we could not breathe. He is merciful and good.

Always.

Home.

Yesterday I found a site online with a true-time satellite image of the globe. At the bottom of the page there were instructions on how to click a location and zoom in to see it better. I could have selected anywhere on the globe, but instinctively I clicked Michigan. Without any thought of what that meant, I waited for the site to give me a glimpse of my home. I was sorely disappointed when the site wouldn’t give me a close view of Stadium or Paw Paw Lake Drive. Click the read more button the keep reading!

Getting Here

Our journey to Malaysia began with quite the expedition. Let me explain the last few hours after a preface.

I have never before had to depend on others to get me to where I need to go.  I mean, of course I had to depend on my parents to take me places before I could drive, but I’m an “adult” now and as an American adult I have come to expect a high level of independence. The night before last, Colin asked me what I missed most about being home (which is odd, because I don’t know where to call home since I have been away from Kalamazoo for a few years and left Huntington for maybe forever). The first thing that came to mind was this:

Going to the grocery store.

...Read on to find out why.

Book Review: To Give or Not to Give, by John Rowell

Heads up, it's a long post!

Rachel's Book Review #1
To Give or Not to Give: Rethinking Dependancy, Restoring Generosity, and Redefining Sustainability
-John Rowell

Brief Summary:

Rowell begins his book with a theological look at cross-cultural missions. He explains that the purpose of the West should not be to imperialize or subjugate indigenous churches as if they are somehow “lesser,” but to acknowledge the work of God that is already happening and align themselves with the missio Dei. “The presence of human witnesses to the gospel does not introduce God to a culture. It simply allows people to begin seeing in an incarnated way how God was with them all along, even if he was unknown, hidden, or rejected” (Rowell, 13). This perspective is the lens through which the rest of the book is written. Foundational to the following controversial discussion is 1) trust in God, 2) interdependence of the global church, and 3) commitment to Biblical mandate.

After the first chapter, Rowell begins a frank analysis of the western church’s disposition to withhold financial blessing from cross-cultural missions work in the name of preventing dependency. Although he acknowledges that unhealthy relationships are common between western and international churches, he argues that instead of simply not giving, churches that have financial means should seek healthy ways to bless those who do not. 

The rest of the book reiterates Christ’s teaching about the inherent value and spiritual gifting of the poor. Jesus said that the poor are in a unique position to trust God and are less distracted by the worship of Mammon (or wealth). Rowell references Paul Heibert’s concern for an additional “fourth self” to the three self model (self-supporting, self-governing, self-propagating). He adds self-theologizing to the mix. This, he believes prevents unhealthy subjugation of non-Western churches and mutual benefit for all.

Rowell ends with some practical steps towards healthy support giving. 1) All parties must share a common goal, 2) There should be an exit strategy, 3) Absolutely no paternalism, 4) All parties must have extravagant generosity, 5) The most contextually relevant parties take the lead,  6) All parties are held accountable, 7) New programs, planning, and hiring is done by nationals, 8) There should be an evaluation of national capacity (to avoid dependency), and 9) Biblical stewardship and financial management is taught to all parties.

Ministry Application:

Everyday on my way to work, the beggar children of Manila swarm to my white skin and presumably deep pockets. My heart cries for them, but my mind is hardened, and my hands move to protect my purse rather than to open it. Is it rationalizing that stops me from giving? Is it personal greed or unwillingness to share God’s blessing? These are real questions that I must ask myself.

The word “dependency” has been a comfort and fortress when such pestering questions arise. Rather than truly engage with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, I rely on a steadfast principle that automatically excuses me from sharing. It’s ugly. But it’s honest.

Rowell’s book has challenged me to open my heart to God’s word about generosity and sustainability. Once again, I am asked to truly think about what my actions say theologically. Principle and practice are intertwined.

One of the most influential concepts from the book is that of a holistic gospel witnesses. It has been an unnamed value of mine for a long time. To have someone vocalize it in a detailed was more than helpful. It describes the idea that missionaries are not just going to convert people to Christianity, but rather a missionary tries to reveal God’s whole will for a group of people’s lives. That means that the Good News is not simply news. It is a dynamic life change and social mandate.

What does this mean for ministry? It means that handing out money and saying “God bless you” is not enough. It means that the cycle of familial vocational begging must end. Something, or someone must break the cycle by showing another way to the poorest of the poor. That something… is probably money. That someone… might be me. The question is no longer to give or not to give. The question becomes “how can I give in a way that creates a healthy relationship?”

I automatically thought of a ministry I was involved with in high school. Each summer we would go to a poor neighborhood and build homes for people. We brought our own tools. We invited the homeowners to participate in our Bible studies. We had a fun week serving the Lord. However, looking back on my experience, I wonder if that ministry created an unhealthy relationship where these people would feel helpless until the Western heroes arrived with their power tools to save the day. That wondering leads me to think of alternatives. Should we build the houses for them? If that creates dependency, should we not build the house at all? I think what Rowell would say is that you should absolutely build the house… but you should build it with them. He describes the difference as paternalism vs. interdependence.

Paternalism implies subjugation and imbalanced giving. “I am arguing, in contrast, that an approach to sacrificial partnership that empowers and enables indigenous leaders to advance their own visions and agendas may be the “best test” of our own convictions about God’s call on us to be generous in our stewardship of vast Western resources” (Rowell, 41). Interdependence gives control over indigenous ministries to the indigenous people and allows the Western church to invest in the kingdom work they are doing. It’s not a daughter congregation… it is a sister congregation.

I have learned to see that diversity is a way that God reveals distinctive aspects of himself. When Rowell talks about self-theologizing as an added “fourth self,” my heart sang. I have seen beauty in the Filipino God. He is my God through a different lens. As I listen to them, my concept of God grows bigger and stronger and lovelier. The way that my pastor prays for healing faithfully each weak reminds me that God is healer and totally sovereign. The way that “sister” and “brother” are names of constant encouragement (even to strangers) reminds me that we are all members of God’s family.

I think that what Rowell is getting at is that we would lean towards compassion over caution. God is obviously a compassionate God. There are too many Scriptures to count about giving to the poor. If I am struggling with a decision and do not know what path to take, I would hope that especially in a ministry setting, I would go for the most compassionate route.

To make this all very personal, I will share some of my life experiences with money. Growing up, I had everything I could ask for: large house, my own room, a closet full of clothes (which didn’t stop me from going shopping every other week), clean and hot water, great education…etc…etc. Money was NEVER a concern of mine.

When I felt my call to missions, I fully expected to minister to the poorest of the poor and live like them. However, it was an “in theory” kind of expectation that I never had to act on. After meeting my husband and getting married, I no longer had the financial support of my parents and the world changed. I had to have a budget. Sometimes we had to wait to buy groceries because we didn’t have the money in our account. My husband didn’t have insurance but needed to have a costly medical procedure. All of a sudden, money cannot be taken for granted. I have to depend on GOD for his provision.

I am so grateful. I know that I have much, but I also know that whatever comes, God will take care of us. This realization frees me to live simply and give generously.

I hope that as I am tested, this proves true.

The Parable of The two Debtors

Hey everybody,
This past Sunday I had the great honor of being able to teach at the 509 Community the passage Luke 7:36-50. The recording is available at the following link if you would like to listen to what I had prepared.

http://www.509community.com/audio/audiofiles/download.php?filename=Sunday_05_22_2011.mp3

It was a great week of preparation. I learned a lot this week through preparing to speak. The ending was really hard coming, and it was really awesome to see how God just taught me that its not about me wrapping up things perfectly and neatly, and that I should leave room for people to approach the text as well.

Enjoy, and thanks for listening,
Colin

Thrill.

This is both an illustration of what the rapture MIGHT have looked like yesterday (inside joke to my fellow 509ers), and an unfortunate image to enhance the following overused roller coaster metaphor. Perhaps with this in mind, you will excuse the cliche. If not, just enjoy the look on left front guy's face.

I woke up from a nap this afternoon with an anticipation that felt like a burning in my stomach and chest. You know that feeling when you are waiting in line for a rollercoaster? …or the one you get as it is clicking its way to the peak of the first major drop?

Thrilled.
I am THRILLED.

All of a sudden I am uncontrollably, unimaginably excited about this move to South East Asia. Before, I was just trying to survive my final semester of classes. Now, my body is buzzing with an adventurous spirit born out of a holy trust.

I trust God.

This realization was so blissful that I could not imagine going back to sleep. I had to share it… with my family, with my friends, with those who I have yet to meet in person, and with those who also are on a path towards submitting their lives to Christ.

HE has reminded me that there is nothing that I can do to earn His blessing. As much as a strive to do things on my own, and as much as I despair when they inevitably fail, He provides in His perfect timing.

It was a silly yard sale.

I poured all of my time and energy into a community yard sale this past weekend. Many people from the 509 donated items to sell as a fundraiser for our missions work. I drove 5 hours to and from my hometown to retrieve an SUV laboriously packed of things to sell by my father. I woke up very very early after late nights of organizing to haul out tables from the church’s basement and boxes of stuff to display. Friends came to help despite the early morning and the heat.

Not many people came. Many people sloooooowly drove by to check out the sale… and then kept going. I was very discouraged. I felt like a failure. I wanted to take the financial provision for the move into my own hands. Hear this, I’m not saying that partnering with God is wrong. He graciously chooses to involve us in the unfolding of His plan. What I am saying is that when we expect to be blessed because of our own labor, we labor in vain.

God gives because He loves… not because we have found a formula for blessing.

So we wait. We pray and we wait. We labor in love and not in expectation.

It is amazingly freeing to realize that this adventure’s success is not going to happen because of my striving. Colin and I are on a rollercoaster of God’s design, and we are going exactly where we should be.

Easter Weekend

This weekend, Colin and I went out with the camera and a tripod. How I love Michigan!

P.S. We have a surprise to share in the next post. It involves Colin...

And scissors.

Conversion and Community: Theological Ramblings

Oh the struggles of Community. We are doing exegetical studies on 1 Corinthians this semester in Biblical Interpretation. I’ve come to the conclusion that being a member of the church is both a blessing and exceedingly difficult. Every Sunday, whoever does announcements at the 509 reiterates that the church is not a building, but that we are the church. “Community” is something we discuss ALL the time at the 509. Our functional mission statement is “Togethering” which is defined as “everything we do together...living, doubting, following, loving, etc.” As much as togethering sounds wonderful, it is really REALLY hard.

People have a misconception that community is always fun and you always feel included. That is not the case...

But it is still good.

Reading Bonhoeffer’s Life Together helped me to realize that yes, we are the church, and that yes, what we do is a part of what it means to be the church, but having idealistic views of church is not healthy. By denying that living life together is hard, we discourage honest struggle. We make people feel guilty if they don’t get along with someone else. We make them feel like they are bad followers of Christ if they don’t slap on a smile even if they are royally frustrated with someone. I think that what Bonhoeffer is saying is that as we work out what church looks like we are bound to struggle. That struggle isn’t wrong. In fact, Bonhoeffer says “He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the later, even though his personal intentions may be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial.” Living in community is a real struggle, and working towards living as the God honoring church is a process… and it is good.

Also this week, we talked about the process of conversion. I absolutely believe that it is a process. Scott McKnight says that conversion can sometimes be simply gentle nudges of the soul. C.S. Lewis described his experience as "When we set out I did not believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and when we reached the zoo I did." Personally, I know that I prayed the “sinners prayer” when I was twelve, but I did not really understand until later. I feel like I’m STILL in the process of putting my faith in Jesus.

I have felt for a long time now that the American Evangelical idea that conversion happens through a specific prayer at an exact moment in time might not be a healthy way of describing conversion. It excludes people like myself who have grown up in the church and have “always” been a Christian. Although at age 12 I did pray the sinner’s prayer, I believe that I had put my faith and trust in Jesus long before then.

The whole “ask Jesus into your heart” thing is confusing for me. First of all, is it Jesus who enables us to live an empowered life and transforms our will? Or is it the Holy Spirit? I appreciate a strong Christology, but I worry that we teach our Children a lopsided Trinity in which Jesus does everything and the other two persons of the Godhead are simply extraneous. Second of all, the phrase makes it sound like it is a one sided event in which we are the ones to invite Christ into our lives when the Bible talks always talks about God inviting us into HIS mission. Thirdly, it has the potential to minimize the importance of community.

Baptism is an important sacrament that exemplifies identification with Christ’s life, death, and resurrection as well as identification with his church body. By telling a child that all they have to do is ask Jesus into their heart and conversion is “done” they effectively tell the child that by a single act of their own will, they can save their soul AND that it takes place apart from any sort of community. I'm not saying that baptism is definitely necessary for salvation, but I do think that it might be a better way of communicating faith and trust in Christ within the context of church.

These are just some things that I’ve been working through as we are preparing to “officially” enter the mission field. Conversion and community are important realities that I believe we should take the time to really REALLY think through.

Filipino Culture Part 2

A brief preface to this post: Colin calls me the vernacular queen, probably for good reason. The time I've spent here in Huntington has been rich with cultural education, and I have been a willing sponge. Therefore, when I throw around words related to cultural adjustment, know that I am only a learner who is excited about the things that she is learning... not an expert. With that said, I've begun to apply my education to what little I know about Filipino culture and will try to explain it to my American friends and family. I welcome correction and elaboration. Remember, we haven't been there yet!

Filipino culture seems to be INDIRECT.

American culture is very direct. We like to "sit down face to face" and "handle conflict." We hate when people "talk behind our backs," and equate passive-aggressiveness with immaturity. Right?

Forget about that in the Philippines.

If there is a conflict, sometimes the only way that you will find out about it is from careful attention to small changes in the routine of everyday. A wife does not have hot tea waiting for her husband after he gets home from work, and he instantly knows that he has upset her in some way. Colin and I are especially direct...even for Americans. I've been told that my boldness can sometimes be off putting. Oops. You can pray for us now. Haha!

Filipino culture seems to be COLLECTIVISTIC.

When someone asks you who you are, what do you say? Most Filipinos would answer based on their relationships to others. They might say, "I belong to such-and-such family." Most Americans would answer with a list of personal characteristics. For example, "I'm Rachel. I'm silly, creative and a lover of God."

This makes sharing the gospel especially relational. When you invite someone from a collectivistic culture to be a Christian, in order for their faith to grow, it MUST be in community. Of course it is the same here, but no one in a collectivistic culture would ever say "My faith is personal so I don't need to go to church." A Filipino would probably not even say that they "go to church," they would probably say "I am a part of the church."

Worship is expressive in the Philippines. They outwardly share their excitement. Here, we focus inwardly during worship. Heads bowed, arms raised, but often the lights are off or we avoid looking at each other.

I will share more later, but for now these are my observations. I used to joke that being a Missions Major at Huntington University was a lot like going to spy school (at least how I imagined spy school to be). Professors teach us how to read cultures and "fit in." However, one of the most important things I've learned is that no matter what you do, you'll always be a foreigner. You can't lose who you are. Somehow, when someone from one culture is immersed into another, they become a third culture child. I find such beauty in this concept.

Quick update on financial support: because we are Interns with Wycliff and not official full time staff, we won’t have an account through them that you can make donations to. However, we are working on partnering with a church so that donations might be tax deductible. In the meantime, please prayerfully consider what God might be calling you to contribute to our ministry with Wycliff serving the Asia Pacific Region. There is a real chance that these donations will not be tax deductible and simply have to be written out to Colin and I. Do you trust us? Is the purpose of your giving more than a tax write off? If 100 people donate $75, we will be financially set for 7 months. I hope your answer is yes. Email Colin and I at thewhitehursts@att.net for our address if you would like our address.

We love you!

Rachel