Culture Shock

Culture shock is something that sneaks up on you even after many years in the foreign culture.  During our MET orientation and misiology classes, Roger McKown does a great job describing and dissecting the contributing factors of culture shock for our interns.  But there is nothing like being in the midst of it to make you a believer.  This is day 5 here in Chichicastenango for our Highlands team.  They have great attitudes and jump in to the work willingly.  But every now and then you hear the strain in their voices as they describe frustrations in communication, insomnia from incessant night noises (chickens, dogs, etc.) and the vague uneasiness of not-quite-right bowel habits.  They also feel like it's wrong to complain that the host families are feeding them too much. But, they are soldiering on and prayers from their home churches and familes help get them through.  It's also a relief to share the frustrations and realize that they are not uncommon.
Last night, Kemmel and I joined Sheri for a "gringo night" dinner and shared some of our frustrations and continuing struggles to understand aspects of the cultures here.  It is disappointing to think that after so many years you can still have culture shock lurking around!  Keep praying for our students and for us missionaries to have patience, good communication skills and a love like Jesus has!