Friday, June 27, 2008

Cross-culture

It has gotten cooler during the day because of the continued G.I. rain, but not much has changed in the daily flow of life at T.I.P.

Today in devotions we learned more about the Chinese culture, and things like Guanxi and "Saving Face" which are still difficult for me to understand at times.

It is hard sometimes to transition in this new culture, what with the squatty potties, the huge crowds, the odd table manners, and the fact that as a "foreigner" I am constantly stared at no matter where I go.

But then we were presented with the life of Christ: How much more difficult would it have been for the God of the universe to transition to life on Earth? That must have been quite a culture shock!
It was a comforting thing to think about, and it is always good to know that God can more than empathize with any cultural trouble that I am having while I am here in China.

I am reminded of the lyric from the Jon Foreman song: "This world is where I breathe, but let it never be called home!"

As of this moment, I still owe $1340 to the TeachOverseas company who has graciously allowed me to come to China despite the fact that I have not fully paid them.

If you feel called to further God's work through this ministry, I would encourage you to visit: http://teachoverseas.org/contribute.php

Make sure that if you do want to donate, type in my name so it goes toward my account.

Thank you very much!

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