Still trying to figure out what your kids are talking about during those video chats? Here’s a little help. This post is a continuation of Ask the Experts #4.
Learning the Lingo—Part 2
Safe Language: As mentioned previously, some of the countries where our kids live frown upon Christianity and anything that sounds like it might have something to do with Christianity. It is for this reason that many of us must make a concerted effort to employ safe language when talking to our kids. Some governments target certain words in any written or spoken (over phone or internet) communication because this can lead them to missionaries (who are people of interest to them). Don’t ask your kids for tips on this unless you are with them in person. Here are some common shortened or symbolic replacements (valid with caps or no caps):
God: the Father, G_d, g@d, Dad
Jesus: the Son,
Holy Spirit: HS
Pray: yarp, pr@y, asking, lift
Missionary: M, worker
Baptism: Dunk, getting dunked
Evangelize: EV, fishing
Church: Club, Sunday gathering
Fellow Christians: family, brothers and sisters
Culture Shock: Maybe your kids have talked about culture shock. Culture shock is the feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes. When your kids go on the field, this may happen suddenly and make them long for home. Don’t rescue them from this–or other “spiritual muscle building” experiences–by encouraging them to come home. Go ahead and sympathize, but stop before your natural parental protection response kicks in. It is all part of the process of becoming an effective agent for God in a foreign land. It may also happen in a reverse sort of way when they come back to the States to visit because they will have (hopefully) acclimated to their own culture by that time.
Acclimation: Acclimation is the process of becoming accustomed to a new culture or to new conditions. When your kids first go abroad, the mission organization will likely limit their visits home for the first 18 months to two years so they can become fully acclimated to their new homes. Don’t complain about this; it is very necessary.
Incarnational Living: This one is a little harder to explain, but I will give it a try. When our kids talk about incarnational living, they are referring to the way Jesus lived among us when he came to earth. John 1:14 describes it like this: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” In Greek, this passage is literally translated as “the Word became flesh and pitched his tent among us.” (How appropriate for a backpacking-themed book!) As Eugene Peterson puts it: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood”. God “tented” with the Israelites in the wilderness and, in Christ, God pitches his tent with us. Let me expand on that: Jesus didn’t just appear as a powerful God (even though he is); he was born as a baby and allowed himself to be limited by human hunger, emotions, and pain. He chose to come live among us and be like us so that we could understand what God is like. In a similar way, our kids are going to a foreign culture and trying to become as much like the people they are serving as possible. They don’t want to live in their new homes like Americans because they are no longer living in America. They want to love the people around them by living like them, dressing like them, eating like them, and most importantly, talking like them. Don’t get frustrated if you see your child living differently than they would here at home. Incarnational living is an important and powerful part of their vocation.
Passport Country: Your passport country is the place where you are originally from–the place where your passport was issued to you. This is what we are referring to when we say “home.” However, there may be a time when your child calls their new culture home and refers to their old home as their passport country. This is sometimes sad for us, but it is a good sign that they have established their new culture as their home. Host Country: The host country is the place that is hosting you. In our kids’ case, it is also where they serve cross-culturally. Often after living in their host country for several years, it becomes not only a host but a home to them. See above.
Support raising: Am I the only one who feels sheepish about this part of my child’s job? When my son asks my friends and family members for money, it makes me uncomfortable. How should I think about this very necessary task? Most missionaries sent by their local church or by sending organizations raise at least a portion of their “salary.” Support raising is the way they get paid for their work as Goers. To try and gain more clarity on this topic, I interviewed the Missions pastor at our church. Here is what he said: “The main reason that our Goers don’t receive a salary is that they are not employed by a church. American pastors and church staff are a part of a cultural context in which there are enough Christians existing to form churches and to support the local staff church staff team. As missionaries step into new cultures, they are in a non-Christian cultural context where there are not Christians; non-Christians rarely give to the work of missions. Therefore in order for them to minister to the culture they are going to, they need to be supported by the Christians in the culture they come from.”
Mobilization Agency/Sending Organization: These organizations work in cooperation with the local church to “engage, equip, and connect believers worldwide to their most strategic role in completing the Great Commission.” Their mission is to point those who know and follow Jesus to those with no access to the gospel. In layman’s terms, they help the churches to send the missionaries and then help them to navigate their new lives when they get there.
Furlough/Home Assignment/Home Service: The official definition of furlough is a leave of absence. Home assignment/home service is a stay over a period of weeks or months when missionaries visit their passport countries; hypothetically, this period allows sending/supporting churches to reconnect with them and allows the missionaries to recharge before returning to cross-cultural service. The terms are mostly interchangeable. When your kids leave their overseas country for a time away, that break is called going on furlough or home assignment (which is really a misnomer since they have usually begun calling their passport country “home”). Sometimes worldwide pandemics cause them to take furlough for an indefinite period.
Whew! You made it! Learning the “Goer Lingo” will help you stay in tune with your child. The more information you can gather about your child’s new vocation, the more knowledgable you will feel. This new-found knowledge will enable a sense of control. And this sense of control will decrease feelings of anxiety. So dig in and learn new things.
Your kids will be so proud.
Parents of Goers 