Wycliffe Bible Translators USA

A vegetable market

There are 196 countries in the world and almost 7,000 different languages. Most of us will never have the opportunity to visit even half of those countries and we probably won’t be fluent in more than a handful of languages (if that!) in our lifetimes. But even if we’re tucked away in our own corner of the world, we can all still find ways to immerse ourselves in different cultures. We don’t have to travel halfway across the world in order to experience another culture; we can live cross-culturally in our own backyards!

Want to experience this for yourself? Here are five simple ways that you can leave your comfort zone behind and become more cross-cultural without needing a passport:

1. Try an authentic ethnic restaurant.

A lot of us are creatures of habit — we drive the same way to and from work, we get pizza from the same place each time we order and we shop in the same grocery stores. But what if we stepped outside of our comfort zones long enough to try something new, like an authentic ethnic restaurant? What if we had the chance to talk to the owners about their cuisine? We could make new friends by showing genuine interest in their culture. (And what better way to be united than through a shared love of food?) You might be scared to intrude, but in our experience, most people love to be asked about their home country, culture and language!

2. Get to know your neighbors.

We’re often surrounded by people in our neighborhoods from different backgrounds and cultures, so why not get to know them personally? Invite their family over for dinner and ask about their lives. Learn about their culture firsthand while building relationships. Encourage your children to build cross-cultural relationships at school too by sitting next to someone at lunch or inviting someone to play during recess that they don’t usually spend time with.

3. Learn how to cook with new ingredients.

At our grocery stores, we probably skip the ethnic-specific aisles. Why not try a new recipe using ingredients from another culture? Visit an international market (like an Asian or Indian market) and learn how to cook an ethnic dish. Or, if that seems a bit too intimidating, simply look up a recipe online and purchase the ingredients at your store! You can even share this new recipe with your family members and friends so they can have a new cultural experience too!

4. Visit another culture’s church.

It may seem intimidating to visit a church that is influenced by a different culture. But since God speaks all our languages and touches the hearts of people from all over the world, a great way to live cross-culturally and also know the God of the universe more intimately is to visit a church where he’s worshipped differently. And who knows, maybe you’ll pick up something that you like and want to use as you worship God!

5. Support cross-cultural products and arts.

Take an interest in and learn more about the art and history of other cultures. Visit a craft fair or shop where another cultures’ art is on display. Talk with the shop owners and artists about their work. You’ll be surprised at how quickly relationships can form (and how much you’ll learn, too)!

We’re surrounded by different cultures every day, and sometimes it just takes a little effort and thought to step out and try something new. There are numerous other ways you can choose to live cross-culturally without leaving your home, but these five can help you get started.

Being cross-cultural right here at home can also be a first step towards living missionally. Pray for the people you meet as you reach out to other cultures. Ask the Lord for opportunities to talk about him. And above all, be ready to listen and learn. If you take an interest in the people around you, you might be surprised at what doors he will open and what he will show you about his people all around the world!

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Backpacks hang outside of classrooms at the Imara campus of Jabali Schools in Nairobi Kenya.

By Melissa Paredes

Have you ever asked a question and then instantly wished the words would fly back into your mouth? Yeah, me too. Sometimes we just say the first thing that comes to mind without really processing it, only to regret that we didn’t pause a moment longer to think it through. While I’ve experienced my fair share of regrettable questions, I’ve also been on the receiving end of them. It’s what happens when you’re a missionary kid and people try to understand what your life is like in another country.

Some of my favorites have been: “What was it like to grow up with the Philistines?” (Side note: I grew up on the Philippines, which is nowhere near Philistia.) Or “What was it like living in the Bahamas?” Well, I wouldn’t know, since the Philippines is in Asia, the opposite side of the world from the Bahamas. I’m sure you get my point. There are far too many more anecdotes to share, and some of them would either make you groan in shame or, maybe, actually answer a question that you’ve secretly wondered.

Questions like, “How do missionary kids get an education if their parents are living in the remote jungles of some foreign country?” I’m here to help set the record straight. No matter where a missionary kid lives, they’re receiving an education somehow. Parents want their kids to grow up to be successful and have an impact on the world. And there are actually a lot of different options for schooling, such as:

1. Homeschool — This is a great way for kids to learn, especially if they either (a) live in a remote village and their parents don’t want to send them to boarding school; or (b) have a mom who wants to invest in her children by teaching them at home. I was homeschooled for many years, and it was great! (And no, I’m not an awkward homeschooled missionary kid, thank you very much). Wonder what this might actually look like? Let the Pehrson family give you a glimpse of what it’s like to raise their kids in a remote village in this video.
2. Local schools — Some missionary kids go to school in the community they live in, which can be awesome! They get the cultural experience as well as an education, though it is at the country’s pace and not that of their passport country.
3. Boarding schools — Not all parents want to send their kids to a big city for schooling, but depending on the situation (like parents living in a remote village and kids needing to learn more than their parents are able to teach them), they might get sent to a boarding school.
4. International schools — Sometimes there’s not a school within the country that can give kids the education they need, especially if they’re planning on attending college in their passport country (like the U.S., Australia, England, etc.). That means a student might get sent to another country to go to school, or might be lucky enough to attend an international school in the same country they live. Take a look at what international school is like through the eyes of Alan and Amanda in this video.

That’s what happened for me — I went to an international school (Faith Academy) that doubled as a boarding school. Thankfully, my family was living in the Philippines, so I neither had to board nor go to school in another country, but received all of the perks of an international school, like having classmates from different countries.

So don’t worry! We missionary kids aren’t just a bunch of hooligans running around barefoot, eating bugs and climbing trees. Chances are we’re doing all that while getting an education (and a pretty great one too, if I do say so myself!).

Interested in teaching missionary kids overseas? Learn more here. And to read more about Melissa’s life as a missionary kid, go here.

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It’s easy to think that the only way we can impact missions financially is through donating money. But gifts don’t always have to be monetary. Gifts in Kind is a great way to make a difference through donating non-cash gifts.  Items can include used cell phones, electronics, jewelry, real estate, cars, and even … dental chairs.

Amy Hauschildt grew up in Papua New Guinea, raised by parents who worked with Wycliffe as schoolteachers. In high school, Amy went to a career day and decided to shadow the Wycliffe dentist in his daily activities. She became so inspired by what she saw that she made the decision to become a dentist as well.

And so she did. After college, Amy went to dental school and she’s currently living out her dream career in Arizona. The clinic where she works was downsizing their office and needed to get rid of three dental chairs. Amy picked up the chairs and, rather than sell them, decided to contact Wycliffe to see if they could be of any use through the Gift in Kind program. She talked with a man named Wade who connected with the dental clinic at the Ukarumpa Center in Papua New Guinea. It turns out, the clinic needed three chairs because out of the chairs they already used, one was broken and the other two were worn out.

The donation was perfect. The Papua New Guinea clinic received beautiful chairs, and Amy was able to help out through something that was very familiar and close to her heart. She also decided to donate 1,000 toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes to be sent over with the chairs, and another woman who works for a national dental care company donated a case of dental floss.

Today, the dental chairs have been used so thoroughly and continuously that they need to be repaired! They’re a blessing not only to the missionaries who live there, but also the local people.

Sometimes it’s the items that we give away or sell that can make a surprising impact for God’s kingdom throughout the world. So whether it’s donating money or non-cash gifts, all that we have can be used for God’s glory. Even dental chairs!

Have your own stuff to donate? Visit wycliffe.org/donateyourstuff to learn how you can get involved.

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“I like to describe my call to ministry as a leaky faucet,” he said. “That is to say, if you’ve ever had a leaky faucet in your home, you can ignore it for a little while, but eventually it just drives you bonkers.” In the same way, Brandon was able to ignore the feeling that God was calling him to a new adventure in life until he simply couldn’t it anymore.

Brandon had his dream career, working as a fire fighter. He’d started young, it had good pay and hours, and he was content with life. But one day, Brandon came to work and discovered that the thrill was gone; the passion just wasn’t there anymore. It was in that moment that Brandon felt God was making it very clear that he had other plans in store for him.

Like the story of Abraham and Isaac, Brandon felt that God had given him what he wanted most of all, but was now asking him to give it back. That was difficult for Brandon to accept, but he did. He gave up his career as a fire fighter and began attending seminary.

Still, even though he felt he was obeying God, Brandon didn’t know what life after graduation would hold. All he knew was that he was where God asked him to be. Missions was nowhere on Brandon’s radar, until one day near graduation, Wycliffe President and CEO Bob Creson spoke to the student body about Wycliffe’s ministry, missions and values. That sparked Brandon’s interest, so he began to look into what joining Wycliffe could mean for him.

After attending Wycliffe’s Total It Up program, where people get a taste of translation and linguistics for a week, Brandon began to understand God’s plan. “All of the sudden, at long last, I could see how all the puzzle pieces fit together –– why God has wired me the way he has, and why he has given me these passions but not these, or these experiences but not these. I had total clarity, and it all became clear to me.”

Around a month later, Brandon applied to Wycliffe and now he’s looking forward to starting the next chapter of his life as a language program intern in Papua New Guinea. God had answered Brandon’s prayer from years earlier: “Use me. Lord, I want you to use me.”

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