Praying for Cross-Cultural Partnerships
I’m writing you today from the road, ¾ of the way through a two-week trip in SE Asia. The first week was spent on a site visit (something we wrote about in the Messenger, our worker care blog, last year – “Site Visits - Part 1“ and “Site Visits - Part 2“) to a relatively new-to-the-field American family. Nearing the end of their first year on site, it was time for an in-person visit from MRN. In addition to the expected struggles of a couple one year into life in a new culture, they are wrestling with how to develop authentic, honoring cross-cultural relationships with potential teammates in country.
I’m now sitting at a desk in the offices of an organization that is a leader (in my mind at least) of cross-cultural partnership done right. It is an organization staffed by people coming from a variety of passport countries. Team meetings are conducted bilingually, with the more proficient among them actually self-translating as they go (an impressive skill that takes work and sacrifice to develop). They serve cross-cultural workers as well as local believers. It is an honor for MRN’s Care Department (all two of us!) to have been invited to serve them with debriefing and team building.
One week was spent with new workers praying through developing cross-cultural partnerships even while still in the thick of language learning.
The next is being spent serving an organization that is the downstream fruit of that kind of labor.
Join me in praying this month for cross-cultural partnerships.
Pray for cross-cultural workers, American and otherwise, that they would be humble God- and other-honoring servants. Pray that new workers would be diligent students of culture, language, and everything else necessary to walk authentically alongside their local family in Jesus. Pray that they would understand their place and their role in the inbreaking of the Kingdom in their context.
Pray for communication. Undoing the scattering God started at the Tower of Babel is hard work, but it is essential for effective partnership.
Pray for grace and understanding and forgiveness. Every partnership worldwide requires these in some measure; cross-cultural partnerships require them in abundance. Pray that pride would particularly be defeated throughout the world in these partnerships, as Jesus’ servants learn to die to self.
Thank you for praying!
Andy
Are you interested in sharing Jesus with unreached people of the world? Or do you know someone who you think God is calling?
We can help!
Email startthejourney@mrnet.org to talk about it, or visit here to learn more.
