Excerpts from “Journey Guide: A Companion For Your Cross-Cultural Ministry Trip” (an OMF booklet)

Keeping a Journal (6-7)

…will help you reflect on your daily experiences.

…provides an opportunity for you to listen to God’s voice and learn the things he wants to teach you.

…helps you be honest with yourself and with God.

…enables us to remember and, therefore, have hope.

Journaling Questions:

1. What is my dominant emotion or thought right now?

2. What aspect of God’s character am I most thankful for today? In what aspect am I struggling to trust?

3. What was my most significant experience today?

4. At which moment did I feel most fulfilled today? Why? At what moment did I feel most frustrated? Why?

5. Is there a story I really want to remember? (Include sounds, smells, sights, feelings, etc.)

6. What am I on the Entry Posture Diagram in regards to loving the people around me? What aspect of this different culture do I appreciate? What aspect am I struggling to understand or accept?

7. Did I practice constantly abiding in God’s presence today? Did I love him with my affections and my actions? When did I find myself loving me more than him?

8. What do I appreciate about my team members, leaders, national Christians, etc.? If I am having conflict with anyone, am I addressing it in the way the Bible instructs?

9. What am I leaning about myself? What are things I would like God to help me change? What do I want to do differently tomorrow?

Expectations and Flexibility (25-26)

1. What are some specific things I would like God to teach me during this trip? How would I like to be different when I return?

2. What are my personal goals for this trip? How do I hope to achieve these goals? Are they in line with God’s desires for me?

3. What are my expectations regarding:

o My teammates?

o My roommates/host families with whom I stay?

o My team leader(s)/staff?

o Host friends?

o Food?

o Living environment?

o Christianity in the host culture?

o My time alone with God or his presence in my life?

o How God will use me?

o How well I will adjust to a different culture?

o Spiritual warfare I will encounter?

o How my family and friends will deal with my absence?

o What I will learn?

o How I will deal with conflict internally and externally?

o Other expectations?

Arrival to Foreign Land: Daily Living Tips (50)

Food—what to eat, not to eat

Water

Hygiene Tips

Using bathroom/toilet/“squatty potty” facilities

Transportation—how to get around

Local Map—where to find important sites2

Safety—walking alone or at night

Money—exchanging, bargaining

Where to get essentials

E-mail/internet/phone calls

If you get sick…

Adjusting to temperature or altitude

Rules to know in host’s home or a national’s home

Host’s contact number and address, other emergency contactJohn & Susan Edwards171-5 Konosu, Iwakiri, Miyagino-ku, Sendai-shi 983-0821 JAPANJohn-080-4472-4039; Susan-080-3003-1523

SEND CenterDave Barkman

Host Site Mission and Vision (51)

What is the vision or end goal of the ministry you are part of during your trip? What do they hope to see as a result of their work and God’s grace?

SEND International: Our mission is to mobilize God’s people and engage the unreached in order to establish reproducing churches.

“A global movement of Jesus followers making disciples among the unreached.” – Warren

SEND Japan: To engage the least reached in Japan with the life giving power of the Gospel. (2013)

SEND Japan makes Christ known and empowers his followers to build up his Church. (2009)

Tohoku Team mission statement: The Tohoku Team assists in mobilizing God’s people and engages the least-reached in the disaster-affected area of Tohoku with the gospel in order to establish reproducing churches as part of SEND Japan’s Engage Tohoku initiative.

What is the field host’s mission, or how are they working to see the goal happen? What are their main ministry strategies or activities?

What are they seeing God do to bring the vision to reality? What are they seeing him at work?

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What are some of the major hindrances or obstacles they are challenged by in their ministry?

How do you, as a short-term worker, fit into the big picture of the ministry? How does your trip impact their long-term work?

What three things would your host specifically like you to be praying for during your trip?

Lifestyle Contextualization: Do’s and Don’ts (58)

o Speaking volume and tone

o Behavior toward the opposite sex

o Relating to those older or younger than you

o Physical body parts or hygiene habits

o Relating to friends

o Attitude of local believers toward dancing, alcohol, or other social activities

o Money, appearance of wealth, bargaining and gifts to nationals

o Political discussions

o Religious discussions

o Religious practices

o Security and safety

Making the Most of Your Trip (64-65)

Be flexible.

Take time to personally connect with God every day.

Pray.

Don’t complain.

Take advantage of any opportunity you see to help.

Be encouraging.

Be aware of your internal tendency to judge what you don’t understand.

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Ask questions.

Humbly accept criticism of your home country.

Work through conflict as soon as possible.

Enjoy yourself.

Responding To Conflict (21-24)

Reasons for Conflict

1. Threatened space.

2. Unmet expectations

3. Clashing of opposing elements or ideas

4. Differing goals

Types of Conflict

Internally—with ourselves

Externally—relationships with others

Spiritually--in our relationship with God—with him as a person

Christ in Conflict

How did Jesus deal with conflict in these areas? What was his response to it? Give examples.InternallyExternallySpiritually with God, his Father

Biblical Responses to Conflict

1. Time (1 Corinthians 13:4)2. Be humble and forgiving (Colossians 3:12-14; Ephesians 4:2-4)3. Seek forgiveness (Matthew 5:23-24)4. Carefully and privately address (Matthew 18:15)5. Confront with another mature believer (Matthew 18:16-17)6. What is the goal of responding biblically to conflict? (John 17:23)

Questions How do I normally respond to conflict?

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In what areas to I need to grow to deal with conflict in a biblical way?

How can you promote team unity by addressing conflict when it arises?

Take time to pray for unity and understanding with your host, team members, etc.

First-week Evaluation and Assessment (80-82)

1. What fear did I exaggerate before I arrived? How have these changed?

2. What are my initial impressions of…

o My teammates?

o My roommates/host families with whom I stay?

o My team leader(s)/staff?

o Host friends?

o Food?

o Living environment?

o Christianity in the host culture?

o My time alone with God or his presence in my life?

o How God will use me?

o How well I will adjust to a different culture?

o Spiritual warfare I will encounter?

o How my family and friends will deal with my absence?

o What I will learn?

o How I will deal with conflict internally and externally?

o Other expectations?

3. Do I need to adjust any of my goals and expectations? How?

4. Have I answered my three burning questions? Am I surprised?

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5. What am I enjoying the most? Least?

6. How am I doing on the Entry Posture Diagram at this point?

7. How am I doing spiritually?

8. My prayer at this point is…

Crossing Cultures (28-33)

Entry Posture (see chart)

Ethnography

1. Who is a Cultural Helper?

2. Finding Cultural Helpers—National Friends Who Can Teach You About Their World

3. Starting Conversations with Cultural Helpersa. Ask for help.b. Meet a need of theirs.c. Use languaged. Explain your identity (who you are and why you are there).

4. How to Build Trusta. Learn appropriate greetings and ways to leave.b. Find common ground.c. Let them ask you questions, too.

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d. Express your appreciation.e. Laugh together.

5. Having a Comfortable Conversationa. Be friendly.b. Pay attention…c. Leave politely.

6. Asking Different Types of Questions

Descriptive questions—consist of general request of information.a. Grand tourb. Mini tourc. Experience and example

Structural questions—follow after descriptive questions and help to flush our more of that they are saying.

Contrast questions—help you understand the relationshiops and differences between terms a cultural helper has described. It is essentially comparing and contrasting.

Questions about life histories, immigration stories, folk tales, stories, jokes, proverbs—reveal a lot of cultural values.

7. Question Pitfalls

o Ethnocentrismo Leading questionso Impatienceo Short questions

Helpful Hints for Crossing Cultures

a. Talk it out.

b. Get into a routine.

c. Try to learn the local language.

d. Learn all you can.

e. Examine your expectations.

f. Keep learning about your own culture.

g. Use the opportunity to grow spiritually.

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Culture Observations List (85)

What I have learned of the Host Culture

Greetings

Way of dress

Food

Daily routines

Education

Government

Religious

Friendships

Families

Gender roles

Prayer Walking Tips (43-44)

1. How you should pray?o with you eyes openo with a partnero out loud although you are talking to your partnero cultivating the ability to ask God what he is seeing wherever you are (i.e. walking, riding

the bus, hiking, even shopping)

2. Strategiesa. Research where you will be praying.b. Be aware of spiritual warfare.c. Watch for distractions from purpose or connections with God.d. Always debrief after prayer walking.e. Use worship music as a weapon.f. Journal, even if you hate it.g. Use the power of testimony.h. Use your faith.i. Fear.j. Deal with you sin harshly and regularly.

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k. Practice before you go.

Scripture For the Journey (45-48)

For My Relationship With God

When you feel insecure. Psalm 16:7-11

When you feel weak. Isaiah 40:28-31; Philippians 4:13

When you are worried. Philippians 4:6-8

About the Future. Jeremiah 29:11-14

About knowing Christ. Philippians 3:7-10

About spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6:13-18

About trusting God. Proverbs 3:5-6

Praying For God’s Glory Among the Nations

Isaiah 12:2-6

Psalm 57:9-11

Revelation 15:3-4

Psalm 67:1-7

Revelation 21:23-26

1 Chronicles 16:8-11

Isaiah 52:7-13

Zachariah 2:10-11, 13

Matthew 12:18-21

Malachi 1:11

Ezekiel 36:22-23

Philippians 2:10-13

Psalm 22:25-28

Personality and Temperamentwww.16personalities.com

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Worldview and Spiritual Warfare (37-42)

The Animist Worldview

The Western Worldview

A Biblical Worldview

Suffering and Pain

Life after death

Salvation from sin

Purpose in life

Diagrams for Animistic and

Western Worldviews (39)

Spiritual Warfare (40-41)

1. We need to understand who God is. We need a correct view of God as we look at the reality of spiritual warfare.o God is willing to hear (Psalm

145:18-19).o God is able and powerful (Ephesians 3:20).o Christ has all authority (Ephesians 1:20-22).

2. We need to understand the spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:10-19). “It is a serious mistake to underestimate the power of Satan; it is a tragedy to overestimate it.”o We claim his [Christ’s] power and strength (v. 10).o Be aware of the enemy’s schemes (vv. 11-12).

a. World’s temptations--1 John 2:15-17b. Our own flesh—Galatians 5:19-21c. Lies and deceptions—1Peter 5:8

o Armor against the enemy’s schemes (vv. 13-17)a. Belt of truthb. Breastplate of righteousnessc. Shield of faithd. Helmet of salvatione. Sword of the Spirit

o Intercession (vv. 18-19)

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a. For selfb. For ministers of the gospel

3. We need to understand who we are in Christ.o Christ lives in you (Galatians 2:20).o You are forgiven and alive with Christ (Colossians 2:13-15).o You are victorious (Revelation 12:10-11).

4. We need to know truth and be able to recall scriptures.o Pray through scripture (Ezra 1:8-9). ?? o Taking thoughts captive and aligning them with the truth of God (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).o Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16).

Practical Application—Prayer Points

1. Start by acknowledging and praising the Lord that he promises “a people for his name” will be established from among every people. (Revelation 7:9-10)2. Ask God to enlighten the minds of people to see the futility of worshiping other gods. (Psalm 115:4-8)3. Plead for the opening of eyes to the revelation of the creator God and his Son, Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:17-18)4. Ask that spiritual strongholds and human philosophies or arguments against God, which produce barriers of resistance to the gospel, will be demolished. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)5. Pray for willing and skillful workers to be send to reach this people group. (Matthew 9:38)6. Ask God to give understanding and discernment to those who communicate truth, that it may be clearly understood. (1 Peter 1:18-19)7. Intercede for people to come to Christ, repenting from their sin and from attempting to earn eternal life through their own good works. (Ephesians 2:8-9)8. Ask that new believers will grow in their faith and share the gospel as bold witnesses. (Acts 4:29-31)9. Pray that new communities of believers will give evidence of the grace of God through their lives. (Acts 11:23)

Religion and Worldview—On-site prayer (55-56)

Religion and Worldview (55)

1. What is the goal of the focus people in life?2. What is the dominant religion practiced among them?3. What ate the major points of their religion?4. What is the state of the church among them?5. How does the culture view God? The spiritual realm vs. the physical?6. How do they view life and death?7. How do they view Christ? The gospel?8. What are some of the barriers for them in believing the gospel?9. What are some ways to contextualize the gospel to their culture?10. What are some possible hindrances to the gospel that Christians in this culture do not practice? (e.g. drinking, public displays of affection, etc.)

On-site Prayer (56)

1. What are the major needs for prayer in the culture?2. What are the major needs for prayer in the people you will be encountering?

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3. What are the prayer concerns of your field host?4. What spiritual warfare do the long-term workers notice in the culture?5. What spiritual warfare should you be aware of during your time in the culture?6. Where are some places you can go “prayer-walking” during your trip?

Four Ministries

What are some activities you are familiar with for each of these “E” tasks? What does your church do to accomplish these?

Evangelize:

Establish:

Equip:

Extend:

What have you done or would you do here in Japan or back in your home country?

Gospel Presentation—One-verse evangelism

https://www.navigators.org/Tools/Evangelism%20Resources/Tools/One-Verse%20Evangelism-%20How%20to%20Share%20Christ-s%20Love%20C

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivzlgnK4iws

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Personal Accountability—QBQ

Practicing Personal Accountability in Work and in LifeQBQ!THE QUESTION BEHIND THE QUESTIONWhat to Really Ask Yourself to EliminateBlame, Complaining and Procrastination.by John Miller

1. Begin with “What” or “How” (not “Why,” “When,” or “Who).

How can I do my job better today?”What can I do to improve the situation?How can I support others?What solution can I provide?What can I do to find the information to make a decision?

2. Contain an “I” (not “they,” “them,” “we,” or “you”).

What can I do today to solve the problem?What action can I take to ‘own’ the situation?

3. Focus on action.

How can I improve myself today?What can I do to help out?What can I do to communicate more effectively?

Spiritual Gifts (http://giftstest.com)

Mid-D House Evaluation and Assessment (83-84)

1. What thing do I like about my host culture?

2. What things do I not like about it?

3. How are my relationships with people in this culture? (teachers, roommates, new friends,

etc.) Do I need to change anything?

4. How are my relationships with my teammates? Do I need to change anything?

5. How goals and expectation have been met or unmet?

Met expectations:

Unmet expectations:

6. Do I need to change any of my goals or expectations?

7. How is my team doing? How am I contributing to it?

8. What else do I need to do to make the rest of the internship even better for me and others?

9. How have I seen God’s presence so far?

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10. My prayer for my remaining time:

SEND International ( send.org; www.send.org/canada)Mobilize God’s peopleEngaged the unreachedEstablish reproducing churches

SEND JapanMinistriesMissionariesOrganization

Debriefing (87-91)

Trip Reflection—Feedback to the Field Host (88-89)

Describe the best experience you have had during your D House experience.

Describe the most frustrating or difficult part of your D House experience.

1. What do you wish you had more time for during this D House experience?

2. What have you enjoyed about your host culture? What has irritated you about it?

3. What did you miss the most from home?

4. Have you been impacted personally by a host worker? In what ways?

5. Have you been impacted by a friendship with one of the locals? In what ways?

6. Did you try to use the local language? Describe one experience. Ho did you deal with the frustration of not knowing the local language.

7. What has God been teaching you from his word while you have been here?

8. Name one strength and one weakness you discovered about yourself during this D House experience.

9. Describe how you view cross-cultural ministry after your time here. What personal characteristics are needed for living in another culture?

10. What is the biggest difference between your host culture and your home culture?

11. What would you do to improve the D House experience for others?

Cultural Observations Chart Review (90)

Refer to the Culture Observations List where you recorded you observations during your D House experience.

a. Review each category of your observations with the filed host and make any additional notes or corrections as you discuss.

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b. This is a great time to reflect on how much God has taught you about another culture and to pray for insight as to how to the gospel can be communicated in an understandable way.

o What things have you appreciated about this culture that you would like to incorporate more into your life back home?

o Do you see any ways to connect attributes or beliefs of this culture with the gospel?

o What are some natural hindrances in this culture to accepting Christ?

o What does or would biblical and indigenous worship look like for this culture?

o What types of long-term workers are needed to build relationships with the lost and encourage the church?

o What things has God taught you about his character through encountering this culture?

o What involvement is God laying on your heart to prayerfully consider in seeing this culture’s people come to know him?

What I learned (94-95)

Take a few minutes to brainstorm about the most significant experiences of your D House internship. Write down 8-10 things.

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.

Now go back through this list and answer these questions:

What did God reveal to your about himself in these experiences? How did they challenge or affirm you personally? How did they change the way you perceive and relate to the world, your host country or

a specific people group?

What God revealed to me about himself:

I was challenged personally to …

I was affirmed personally in …

My perception of the world, my host country or a specific people group was changed in how I see …

I want to relate to it/them differently in this way …16

Met vs. Unmet Expectations (96-97)

Review your expectation list.

Which ones where met in the way you thought they would be?

Which ones were met, but in a completely different way than you anticipated?

Which ones have been unmet, but you now realize they were unrealistic or unnecessary? Were there some expectations you were pleasantly surprised to have unmet?

Which of your unmet expectations have left you disappointed? Was there something within your control you could have done differently? If you unmet expectations were due to circumstances outside your control, have you talked to your team leader or staff about them? How are you dealing with your disappointment in relation to God’s sovereignty?

Do you have any unresolved conflict with yourself? With a teammate or leader? With God? What steps do you need to take to work through it? (Remember the discussion about dealing with conflict.)

Re-entry—Reflections Before Going Home (98-100)

1. What is re-entry culture adjustment (sometimes known as reverse culture shock)?

2. What causes this re-entry time to be difficult for some?

3. How do people handle this re-entry time?

Assimilators-

Alienators-

Integrators-

4. How can I become an Integrator and experience growth through my re-entry?

5. Is there life after the short-term D House experience?

Re-entry Preparation (101)

In the areas below, how have I changed during the D House experience and how have I stayed the same?

Physical/Material

Relationships

Emotions and Attitudes

Global Perspective

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Spiritual

Other

How do I anticipate that others will respond to the changes in me?

What difficulties do I anticipate I may go through as I return?

What am I most looking forward to at home?

Who can I look to for support as I go through re-entry adjustment (reverse culture shock)?

Sharing My Story (102-103)

The most common question short-termers hear upon return is, “How was your trip?” People will have varying degrees of interest, so one way to prepare is to have answers of varying lengths.

The Sound-bite Approach: Write a 15 second response.

The Commercial Approach: Write a one-minute response.

The Interested Conversation Approach: Write a five-minute response.

The Invited Approach: Write and outline for a twenty-minute talk.

Integration Strategy

The first three days I am home I want to make sure that I … (check mail, do laundry, sleep, see family, etc.)

The first full week I am home I want to make sure that I … (send a thank you e-mail to leader and field host, share my story with close friends, organize pictures, pay bills, etc.)

The first month that I’m home I want to make sure that I … (send thank you letter to my support team, share my story with a small group or church, talk to my pastor about my experience, etc.)

The first three months I am home I want to make sure that I … (review areas of involvement from page 91 and pick one or two things to do, send a care package to field host, begin learning a foreign language, etc.)

Over the next year I hope to make changes and commitments in my life in the following areas (give more sacrificially to Kingdom work, look into long-term opportunities, join my church’s global ministry team for help start one, etc.)

Go over these commitments with someone who will pray for you and hold you accountable—team leader, pastor, etc. Writ their name(s) here:

Write a letter to yourself about the commitments you are making. Ask a trusted friend to mail it back to you in six months.

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Future Involvement Opportunities (91-92)

1. Learn

2. Pray

3. Send

4. Mobilize

5. Welcome

6. Go

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