People often ask us what it is like to be a cross-cultural missionary. It is many things. But above all, it is about adjusting to constant change. There is the change of leaving one's normal surroundings, friends and family, and moving to a new culture with new friends and customs. Then there is the constant change of demands on the field: one day a sermon must be written, the next day a car repaired, and on the following day a malfunctioning computer must be mended. In countries where many goods and services are unavailable or prohibitively expensive, missionaries must learn to do everything. Many people don't realize it but one of the most disconcerting changes happens when missionaries leave their host cultures and return to their country of origin. In two or three years a lot of changes occur. We will never forget a flight to Grand Rapids a few years ago when we noticed everyone in the airplane was glued to small rectangular devices, poking and prodding them with their fingers. It was only a few months ago that Blackberries arrived in Haiti--we are still waiting for touchscreen smart phones to become popular! One of the greatest changes is borne by children--they are dragged from their homes, friends and schools, put into new homes, forced to make new friends and to get accustomed to new schools. Please pray for our school-aged children, Hannah, Isaiah, and Vivian, as they spend six months in a new school (see picture of Hannah, Isaiah, and Vivian in front of their new school, Grand Rapids Christian Elementary) before returning to Haiti in the middle of a semester.
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