Writing Stories of Culture
Missionary service is the only way to truly prove your dedication to Jesus Christ. Or so I mistakenly thought—and upon which I built two decades of my life. To not be overseas was to be living in rebellion against prayers prayed and commitments made. To not be overseas meant ignoring a calling, the calling made specific for me at a…
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The moment you receive news that alters the course or direction of your life’s journey, everything is different. What felt secure or at least felt normal is replaced with uncertainty. The moment my husband said, “We are going back to the states and we’re not coming back to Mongolia,” I crumpled to the floor in the rented vacation condo and…
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Coming home? Fondly called the RE-ENTRY PROCESS, reverse culture shock is a formidable minefield. The unsuspecting could definitely be caught off guard. When our family returned from our five years abroad, there was a simple exit-interview with one of the personnel directors at mission headquarters and a few days at a camp called “Re-Entry,” but it did little to help…
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A school teacher has an ethical approach to her teaching. We could call it her PHILOSOPHY of teaching. Written or not, she acts out her philosophy over and over again, the EVIDENCE found in the MOMENTS that make up a school day. As a teacher myself, I respect the individual and his or her right to her own choices. I…
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Forgive me, if I’m wrong. Maybe cultures do not always transform for the better. In my last blog, I entertained the story called THE WIDESPREAD ENIGMA CONCERNING STAR WOMAN. This is a story from Zitkala-Ša in American Indian Stories, published in 1921. From this story, we learned how the elders feel the young people have lost their way. We also…
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