This week I have found myself doing a lot of things I would consider "upkeep." We haven't spent much time with students (aside from lunch today with Clover and Cheryle), and I feel like a lot of time consuming tasks are being done without visible success.
For example, I've been trying to get our website back up to date. Some of you may laugh if you've noticed that it hasn't been updated officially since October. However, we are learning that this is a bigger endeavor than we anticipated at the start, and no one had ever sustained a website prior to this year--something new we're learning.
Additionally, we're learning how to communicate better with people back home. A lot of people have put time, effort, and money into making sure the seven of us got here and are effective. We don't always stay in contact, but we know we owe it to those people to keep them informed. We've tried various things (i.e. the website) and are also trying some newer methods (email newsletter also in the works)--again, a learning process.
Also, a lot of trial and error has gone into the rest of our Work with students and friends--oftentimes very frustrating for both parties; and we find ourselves feeling inadequate or failing at our purpose--yet again, a process to learn from.
Last night, we met (a group of teachers who get together over dinner for our Wed. night study) to discuss the activities of our 1st century predecessors. One thing that I realized through that conversation (Acts 2:42-47) was that we have been learning this whole year how to be more like those people--just twenty centuries later.
In other words, this whole year has been a process of transformation--as individuals, married couples, a team, etc. I'm glad to find the father doing this to us. I'm not ashamed of our work this year, even though we don't have the numeric success that many consider so important. I am reminded that we are called to be faithful, not successful and that our Father takes care of the increase, not us.
So whether our failures have been in communication with people back home or with our studies here, I count it all as part of the transformation process that makes us as a group that much more experienced for the long term service we have committed to in our lives.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Cross-cultural work is always challenging, especially for Americans. We highly value
ReplyDelete"efficiency" without realizing our assessment of it is culturally shaped. Relationships are not efficient, they cannot be programmed. There are things we can learn to do that help us be more available for them, but we cannot make them happen.
My CPM mentor notes that it takes 2-4 years of lots of work to catalyze a reproducing work. It sounds quicker when we train, but the rapid multiplication results from the reproducibility. Thus the counter-intuitive, "Go slow to go fast. Train few to reach many." The front end is the slow end, but the critical piece. Lessons you are learning will be invaluable. Keep at it.