 After living in the Philippines for more than 15 years, my family and I moved to a different Asian country. And one of the first things I did was study the language. Once while going through my lesson, my teacher would ask me a set of written questions in the local language. In my lesson plan, I had different options to answer the question.
In this one lesson, I was asked in the language, "Do you want to go out to eat?" I replied, "Yes I do." The follow-up question was, "Where do you want to go?" This time I mentioned a local restaurant nearby. Then my teacher asked, "Who will pay?" At this point, I stopped the lesson. I pointed at the lesson and said, "This is not (the language I was studying)." My teacher was shocked. I then followed up. You can not tell me that in this country, you invite someone to eat, ask where they want to go, and then ask, "Who will pay." For those reading this and who have not lived in Asia and find themselves a little lost, let me explain. In many Asian countries, when someone invites you to go out and eat, it is an unspoken expectation the one who is inviting will pay for the meal. My teacher then explained that the reason it was in the lesson was that there were times when her western students invited her to eat which once the bill came, she was expected to pay for herself. She included it in the lesson so if she found herself in that situation she would feel comfortable to ask, "Who would pay." I then made it a point to her that she was not only teaching language, but also culture. Language and culture are very intertwined. We will look at the value of "be international and interdenominational" as it deals with language. But before we get into the value, let us read it over. 8. Be international and interdenominational YWAM is international and interdenominational in its global scope as well as its local constituency. We believe that ethnic, linguistic, and denominational diversity, along with redeemed aspects of culture, are positive factors that contribute to the health and growth of the mission. In YWAM, we aim for more cultural diversity as communicated in our YWAM value "Be international and interdenominational." When living in multicultural teams, language is a challenge. In many of the countries I visited and in Asia, English was often the medium of communication among multicultural teams. When that is the case, westerners adjust quicker and have an advantage over non-English speakers in a multicultural setting. Also, the culture of the group becomes more western. If English continues to be the dominant language in multicultural teams, the tendency will be that western ideas and culture will dominate. If we want more voices to rise from non-western countries, we need to change our approach in conducting our meetings. So how do we address this? I do have a couple of suggestions. 1- Native English speakers should learn the language of the country they live in. If you have an American living in a Spanish-speaking country, he should learn Spanish. This will help the person know the culture and get an understanding of what others are thinking about. 2- More of our meetings could be held in the local language. I have been in Asian countries where leadership meetings were held in English. When this happens, the Asians in the meeting are already at a disadvantage. They spend a lot of time trying to understand what is being said and don't have time to formulate their thoughts on the subject at hand. What if you are in a multicultural team? I would suggest that maybe half of your meetings would be in English and the other half would be in the local language. This is not easy, and there are no easy answers. These are decisions that should be made at a local level. But with that said, I do want to warn you not to focus on just one culture. We are an international mission that celebrates the diversity of culture we find ourselves in. Therefore, while embracing the local cultures we live in, we should be flexible to embrace the cultures of those who are living with us from other nations. If you are a YWAMer, I would love to hear what you think in regards to this. I am sure there are angles I am not seeing. Please feel free to leave a comment or a question. ---------------- In July 2021, I finished my Master's degree at the University of the Nations in Team-based communication. The title of my thesis was "Looking at the Application of Youth With A Mission's Foundational Values Through Different Cultural Lenses." If you like to read it, click here. Blessings.
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In July, I finished my Master's degree at the University of the Nations in Team-based communication. The title of my thesis was "Looking at the Application of Youth With A Mission's Foundational Values Through Different Cultural Lenses." If you like to read it, click below. Blessings.  I remember when God was calling me into missions. Raising support was something that terrified me. Honestly, I was filled with self-doubt and didn’t feel worthy of support. But everyone who joins YWAM needs to face this, no matter what culture you are from.
Before we start exploring the value "practicing dependence on God in different cultural contexts," let us re-read the value. 16. Practice dependence on God YWAM is called to practice a life of dependence upon God for financial provision. For individuals and for any YWAM team or community, this comes primarily through His people. As God has been generous toward us, so we desire to be generous: giving ourselves, our time, and talents to God with no expectation of remuneration. When we look at the world, there are individualistic cultures and collectivistic cultures. Individualists see themselves apart from others and make decisions accordingly. These are generally considered western cultures. Where collectivists think of themselves as a part of the group and decisions are based on the group. These are typically regarded as non-western cultures. How does the YWAM value “Practice dependence on God” apply to individualists and collectivists? How does God provide for us in YWAM? Traditionally, everyone in YWAM is responsible for raising their personal support, which is more individualistic. Collectives get their needs met from the collective. Currently, the wording of the value would allow collectives to trust God as a collective for their needs to be met. We can see this in the Bible when Jesus and His disciples received support as a collective (Luke 8:3). However, there are times when problems arise. I have met YWAM leaders in collective cultures who are responsible for raising the support for everyone they lead. This becomes a massive burden for the leader but also limits their followers. Additionally, another problem arises. Suppose a person or group in the collective believes God is calling them somewhere else. In that case, they may be persuaded not to leave due to the fear of having no support after leaving. Also, they may not want to become leaders because they do not want to carry the burden of raising support for all of their staff. So how do we address the problem? I lived in Asia for 20 years, and I do have a couple of suggestions. 1- The collective should carry the collective. What do I mean by that? The responsibility should not be all on the leader. The group should be looking out for one another. I am an American, but I am married into a Filipino family. There were times when my brother-in-law needed financial help. He was taking care of my mother-in-law, and his job didn’t pay all that well. My wife and I would give what we could to help them out. Now years later, he is doing much better and is supporting us. The collective should take responsibility for those in the collective. So if some need help, the collective should jump in as a whole, not just the leader. 2- Everyone should invest. I have seen at times when, in a collective setting, there is a staff who joins YWAM because there is a bed and three meals a day. They don’t invest in the collective. They are more of a “taker” rather than a “giver.” This is a discipleship issue that leaders need to address. This value also addresses generosity. We are all called to be generous. This needs to be a part of our discipleship. If you are a YWAMer, I would love to hear what you think in regards to this. I am sure there are angles I am not seeing. Please feel free to leave a comment or a question. ---------------- In July 2021, I finished my Master's degree at the University of the Nations in Team-based communication. The title of my thesis was "Looking at the Application of Youth With A Mission's Foundational Values Through Different Cultural Lenses." If you like to read it, click here. Blessings. |
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